Red Wings must hold the line amid Dylan Larkin trade request

November 3, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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The Detroit Red Wings have suspended Dylan Larkin without pay. Larkin informed the team that he would not report to the team or play for them until he was traded. This was met with a lot of backlash from fans, and interim general manager Shawn Horcoff made the decision to suspend him.

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The Red Wings are stuck in a very unenviable position at this time. Detroit is playing hockey at this time. They have won six of their last nine games, and three of their last four. This includes a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers on the road on Monday night.

But here we are still talking about Larkin. The Red Wings cannot escape this situation until the move is made. The team’s highest-paid player, the former captain and hometown kid, is sitting at home doing whatever it is he does in his daily life.

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It would be so easy for Horcoff to make a bad trade just to get this over and done with. However, he can’t do that. Not only is the former Edmonton Oilers forward fighting for the full-time GM job, but it’s also just not in the best interest of the Red Wings.

Detroit has to trade Larkin eventually. But they cannot make a bad trade right now. Detroit is in uncharted waters, and they are trying to find the life preserver wherever they can.

Red Wings are in historic low point for decorated franchise

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Detroit Red Wings don’t quite know what they are right now. They have some intriguing young players. Emmitt Finnie is blossoming into a top-six player, and scored his seventh goal of the season on Monday. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is having an incredible rookie campaign, too.

But the direction of this Red Wings franchise is up in the air. Dylan Larkin and his situation is a major reason why. Detroit needs to get this right because they are at a low point in their history. It’s something that a team with this sort of history just hasn’t done.

The Red Wings are the most decorated American franchise in the NHL. Detroit has had some of the greatest players of all time wear their iconic Winged Wheel. No American team comes close to the Red Wings’ 11 Stanley Cup championships. But let’s look at a stat that puts into perspective where the current Wings are compared to previous years.

Detroit was awarded an NHL team that began play in 1926-27. They were initially known as the Detroit Cougars, which lasted from 1926 until 1930. In 1930, they briefly became the Falcons. In 1932, they became the Red Wings we all know and love to this day.

Over the course of the last 101 seasons, Detroit has never had a 10-year stretch without playoff hockey until now. Forget any one 10-year stretch, though. The Red Wings have made the playoffs at least once in every decade with the sole exception of the 2020s.

The Red Wings aren’t alone in their lack of postseason action this decade. In the West, the San Jose Sharks have not made the playoffs in the 2020s, either. The Buffalo Sabres ended their own brutal postseason drought last season.

Now, the history certainly does play into this a lot. After all, much of Detroit’s history comes when the Red Wings were one of six teams in the NHL. Even when considering that, their current futility is in a league of its own.

The Chicago Blackhawks technically have played playoff hockey in the 2020s. They made the COVID-19 bubble playoffs in the 2019-20 season, though the games were played in 2020. For seasons that began in the 2020s, though, they have failed to make the postseason.

Outside of that, the Red Wings are in a sinking ship all alone. The Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs have all experienced playoff hockey multiple times in this decade.

What does this long, winding history lesson mean? It means the Red Wings are about to achieve something quite unprecedented in this sport. And a Larkin trade may be the one thing that could prevent it.

The Red Wings need to wait as long as they can for the best deal possible. Larkin may be frustrated, but Detroit is going to have to deal with that. Horcoff’s job is likely on the line with this decision. The Detroit organization is playing largely to retain its pride, as well.

These 2020s Detroit Red Wings cannot be the team that went an entire end-to-end decade without playoff hockey. It would be a major blight on a historic franchise. This core, with Finnie, Brandsegg-Nygard, Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and the others, is too talented for that. But they need some help. That’s why the Red Wings must hold the line and wait for the best Dylan Larkin trade they can possibly make.

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