Dylan Larkin trade rumors resurface, and the Stars are the new favorite

Dylan Larkin's trade market never really cooled, and the Detroit Red Wings open training camp this week with Dallas back in the picture.

No new offer is sitting on the table right now. But the framework that once existed between Detroit and the Dallas Stars is worth revisiting.

Larkin put up 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games last season, still Detroit's captain, still tied to an $8.7 million cap hit.

He finished hot too. Five goals and 11 points over his last 10 games, then four goals and nine points across his final five.

Detroit did not finish hot as a team. A three-game losing streak, a 2-6-2 mark over their last 10, and an 8-1 blowout loss at Florida to close the season.

That's a 92-point year and a 16th overall ranking under Todd McLellan, general manager Steve Yzerman still hunting for answers up front.

Dallas is the complete opposite. A 50-20-12 record, 112 points, third overall in the league, riding a five-game winning streak into the stretch drive.

Why Jason Robertson is the name that fits the cap math

Jason Robertson keeps surfacing in this conversation, and it's not complicated. The numbers actually line up.

Robertson carries a $7.75 million cap hit. Swap that for Larkin's $8.7 million and Detroit adds a player, Dallas barely feels the difference.

Wyatt Johnston is not walking out that door. Dallas already said no once, and their 23-year-old center scored 45 goals with 86 points last season.

Robertson is a different case entirely. He posted 45 goals, 96 points and a plus-22 rating, arguably tougher numbers to give away than Johnston's.

Would Jim Nill actually sign off on subtracting from his most productive winger to add a center he already has depth at?

That's the tension nobody in Dallas has to answer yet, and probably won't until camp forces the issue.

These two clubs already split the season series. Detroit won 4-3 in overtime at home in December, Dallas answered with a 3-2 overtime win in March.

Tight games both times. Nothing separating them when it mattered.

Adding Larkin would function like an insurance policy Dallas didn't think it needed, the kind of move that only makes sense once the current plan stops working under playoff pressure.

Larkin's game travels well anywhere. Faceoffs, speed, second-unit power play reps, the exact profile a contender wants without disrupting what already works.

Whether Dallas actually pulls that trigger before puck drop is a separate question, and nobody in that front office is tipping their hand.