Dylan Larkin dropped a massive bombshell on the NHL universe on Thursday. He requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings, a franchise that hasn't seen a playoff appearance since 2017. That alone can cause some problems for a player, especially when you're stuck in the cold Midwestern winter.
Of course, that fired up the ol' rumor mill to the maximum. Teams and trade packages were brewing on a random Thursday, with one particular insider linking the Vegas Golden Knights to the Olympic gold medalist. Boy, that's not going to sit well with 31 other teams, will it?
With all the speculation over Dylan Larkin's potential landing spot, you have to wonder about the Vegas Golden Knights being a destination he'd want to go. Larkin is good friends with Jack Eichel. Can VGK pull this off after the Cup Final?
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 4, 2026
There it is. David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period confirms it and even links Jack Eichel to Larkin. After all, the two Americans won a gold medal together in 2026, disposing of their Northern rivals known as the Canadians. It appears that there might be more "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (I made sure to spell that right this time) playing outside of T-Mobile Arena come September.
It stands with good reason, too. Larkin is a productive hockey player, scoring 276 goals and 643 points in 11 seasons with the Red Wings. He's also been one of the league's best penalty killers and defensive forwards, adding more plausibility to the Golden Knights' connection.
However, some hang-ups remain. What does a potential deal look like for the Golden Knights if Kelly McCrimmon does have interest? Is a deal even possible for the Golden Knights, should they pursue such an avenue?
Exploring a potential deal between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Detroit Red Wings for Dylan Larkin
Obviously, the name floated in trade discussions on the Golden Knights' end is Adin Hill. The oft-injured goaltender has the salary ($6.25 million AAV) to offset most of Larkin's $8.7 million AAV contract. Of course, the gold medalist can't be traded without his approval. But as Pagnotta mentioned, that could be easier to do with the Eichel connection.
For McCrimmon, he could go a couple of routes here. One, he can add a player like Keegan Kolesar to the mix, putting up $2.5 million AAV on the books. Here, he can add a lower draft pick to the mix (think a 2027 third-round draft pick) and offset the cost.
Or, he could give up the last remaining first-round or second-round pick in the next three drafts. That would be the 2028 pick, which has yet to be touched by the Golden Knights. It seems more likely that Detroit will look for higher picks, so don't be surprised if the latter happens instead of the former.
Regardless, conventional wisdom doesn't necessarily apply to McCrimmon in such deals. He's willing to work out the biggest albatrosses to make way for fresher talent. It's why he's become one of the league's best general managers, after all.
Why a Larkin deal is likely (or unlikely) to happen for the Golden Knights
The $8.7 million salary alone should worry Golden Knights fans a bit. That's a lot of money to take in, even with names like Hill and Tomas Hertl thrown into the mix. What teams are going to take on an injured goaltender? Hertl is a better fit for Detroit in this scenario.
Plus, where is Vegas getting those high-end draft picks? They've already made big trades to acquire pieces like Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin, leaving them short of draft capital. A deal doesn't seem as likely without the proper pieces.
Still, don't sleep on McCrimmon to make a deal. As mentioned, he's always raring to make the Golden Knights better. It doesn't matter if it's trading oft-injured goaltenders or older players. Perhaps Pagnotta might be onto something...
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