The Dylan Larkin rumors just reached another level after latest Oilers development
Dylan Larkin is still Todd McLellan's captain in Detroit, but Edmonton chatter is already pushing him onto Connor McDavid's wing.
That fan pitch got traction fast because the Oilers don't need another center on paper. They already have McDavid and Leon Draisaitl down the middle, and that's what makes the Larkin idea so messy.
On pure hockey fit, you get the appeal. Larkin still plays with pace, pushes through the neutral zone, and scored 34 goals with 67 points in 74 games last season.
Edmonton also has a real reason to look at its wings. The Oilers scored 282 goals and finished with 93 points, but their roster still leaned hard on the same two stars to drive the attack.
McDavid put up 138 points in 82 games, and Draisaitl added 97 in 65. That kind of center depth is exactly why any Larkin talk starts with one question: would he really leave the middle full-time?
That's where the noise turns into a front-office problem. Larkin is signed at an $8.7 million average annual value, and Steve Yzerman is not in the business of moving his captain for a soft return.
Detroit's side of this matters just as much. The Red Wings finished 41-31-10 for 92 points, missed by a thin margin, and still leaned on Larkin as their heartbeat.
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Oilers fans are buzzing as Dylan Larkin speculation suddenly heats up
Stan Bowman still has Edmonton's coaching vacancy to solve, so dropping a massive roster swing into the middle of that would be a big call. The Oilers' head-coach slot remains open in the current league management file.
There's also the cap and role question. If Larkin lands in Edmonton, you are either paying premium money for a winger experiment or breaking up one of the league's best one-two punches at center.
The on-ice fantasy is easy to sell. Larkin's speed beside McDavid would put real pressure on defenders backing off the blue line, and it would give Edmonton another attacker who can carry entries clean.
But the trade itself still feels like the heavier story. Detroit gave up 258 goals and finished at -17, which makes it harder to picture Yzerman pulling out his top center instead of fixing the rest around him.
That's why this post hits as a conversation starter more than a real finish line. It shows what people think Edmonton needs, even if the player attached to that need is probably too big to pry loose.
The Oilers do need help on the wing. Dylan Larkin just happens to be the kind of name that makes that need sound louder than it really is.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 4, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brett Howden | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mark Jankowski | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mark Stone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Hanifin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Dylan Coghlan | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||