Dylan Larkin Trade Pitch Gives Detroit Red Wings An Unexpected Replacement

Dylan Larkin skates for Detroit Red Wings in 2026 season© Instagram/@dylanlarkin71

Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit, and a trade proposal published on PuckGM is now putting a real face on what that exit could look like. The four-player deal would send Washington Capitals centre Pierre-Luc Dubois, forward Andrew Cristall, defenseman Justin Holl, and a 2027 third-round pick to the Red Wings. In return, Detroit ships Larkin plus a 2027 fifth-round pick to Washington. General manager Steve Yzerman has offered no guarantees. “I cannot make any guarantees,” he said on June 27, as quoted by Bleacher Report.

What Detroit Gets in a Larkin Trade

Larkin, 30, is a Michigan native who scored a career-high 34 goals last season and carries 278 goals and 649 points across 818 NHL games. His $8.7 million cap hit runs through 2030-31 with a full no-trade clause active until 2027-28. After 10 straight seasons without a playoff appearance, he formally requested a trade in June. His approved list has since grown to 10 teams, with Washington now among them, per The Athletic.

Dubois, 28, is the centrepiece coming back. He has 171 goals and 260 assists in 632 games. His best run came in 2024-25, when he posted 66 points. An injury then cut last season to just 19 points in 29 games. His cap hit sits at $8.5 million through 2030-31. Detroit would shed $200,000 in cap liability and retain $16.941 million in space under this structure.

Cristall adds a layer of longer-term upside. The 21-year-old left wing was drafted 40th overall by Washington in 2023 and led the WHL with 132 points in 57 games in 2024-25. He then put up 60 points across 72 AHL games last season. He has not yet appeared in an NHL game, but his $889,166 cap hit runs through 2027-28 and the ceiling is real.

Holl, 34, is a depth defenseman who won the Calder Cup with Toronto in 2018. Washington brought him back this summer on a $900,000 deal. He scored twice in three games for the Capitals this month before being reassigned to Hershey.

Does This Package Fill the Larkin Gap?

The numbers tell a complicated story. Larkin's career scoring rate sits at 0.80 points per game. Dubois is at 0.68. That gap matters for a franchise that has missed the playoffs for a decade and is actively looking for players who can contribute now.

Dubois played all 82 games as Washington's second-line centre in 2024-25. He can skate, he can win faceoffs, and at 28 he is not entering decline territory. But Larkin, at his best, was scoring 34 goals. Dubois has not hit 30 in a single season.

The prospect sweetener matters. Cristall is not a throwaway name. He dominated junior hockey, and the AHL production backs up the hype. But he is still a prospect, and Detroit has prospects. What Yzerman has been looking for, reportedly, is value now, not potential.

By the cap math and future assets, Detroit comes out ahead on paper. By the on-ice production exchanged, Washington gets the better player. That is usually how trades involving 34-goal scorers tend to work.