Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit, and as of Sunday, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos is reporting that the Stars are the captain's preferred destination.
That's a significant development. Larkin is 29 years old, carries an $8.7 million cap hit, and just put up 67 points in 74 games for a Red Wings team that went 41-31-10 and finished 16th overall.
Nick Kypreos: It appears Dylan Larkin's destination of choice is Dallas - Sportsnet
He's not the problem in Detroit. He never was.
GM Steve Yzerman built a roster that finished the season with a -17 goal differential. Larkin, meanwhile, posted 34 goals and 33 assists, went plus-3, and collected 9 game-winning goals.
Those are legitimate top-six numbers. The kind you build a contender around, not the kind you watch walk out the door.
But here's the thing: Dallas already has a centre issue, and not the kind Larkin solves cheaply.
Stars' crowded top six makes the cap math brutal
The Stars finished third overall at 50-20-12, with 112 points. They can score. GM Jim Nill already has Mikko Rantanen at $12 million, Roope Hintz at $8.45 million, and Wyatt Johnston at $8.4 million locked in up the middle and on the wings.
Tyler Seguin is still on the books at $9.85 million. The Dallas cap sheet is not a blank canvas.
Adding Larkin at $8.7 million to a roster that's already deep in the red cap-wise isn't a phone call you make without moving something substantial first. Maybe multiple somethings.
Think of it like trying to add a fifth starter to a rotation that already has four aces. The roster build is sound. The money doesn't flex that easily.
Larkin in Dallas makes sense as hockey. He's a hard-driving centre who thrives in a top-six role, loves the power play, and had 14 power play goals this season.
The Stars' power play is already lethal. Glen Gulutzan's bench has every reason to want that kind of finisher on the man advantage.
What doesn't add up yet is how Nill threads the needle financially to make this real.
Sportsnet's Kypreos dropped the report Sunday evening, and the framing "destination of choice" suggests this is coming from Larkin's camp, not just league-wide speculation.
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That distinction matters. When a player's preferred destination leaks, negotiations tend to move faster. Teams know exactly what they're bidding against.
One thing is certain: if Larkin ends up being traded to Dallas, Jason Robertson will leave. The Stars won't be able to afford to sign him.
Should the Detroit Red Wings trade Dylan Larkin to Dallas if he has already chosen his destination?
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