The Toronto Maple Leafs could have a dream trade scenario unfold right in front of them.
A bombshell report from Elliotte Friedman hit the Sportsnet website with a report in which he detailed how the Detroit Red Wings captain, Dylan Larkin, has reportedly asked for a trade.
Now, trade rumors such as these are par for the course at this time of the season. But it’s Friedman, and he’s running with it on the official Sportsnet site. So, there’s certainly credibility to it.
Friedman was careful to highlight that no one in the Red Wings organization has confirmed the situation. Moreover, Friedman also stated that Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, has not addressed the matter.
That said, this could be a golden opportunity for the Maple Leafs to really turn things around. Talk of Larkin coming to Toronto is nothing new. Last season, there was some unsubstantiated chatter that Larkin wanted out of Detroit. The Leafs immediately jumped out as a go-to destination.
It would make even more sense for Larkin to head to Toronto at this point. The 29-year-old could join fellow Team USA teammate Auston Matthews. Plus, the arrival of a future superstar with the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft could make things really interesting for the Maple Leafs.
As for Larkin’s $8.7 million cap hit, that’s a drop in the bucket right now. The Leafs have over $22 million in cap space. So, that will be plenty of cash to get Larkin under the cap, and still round out a competitive roster.
What would it cost Maple Leafs to land Larkin?
As for the acquisition cost, there’s a major situation at play here. Larkin has a full no-trade clause. That situation means that the Red Wings captain can just say, “I want to go to Toronto.” At that point, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman could find himself handcuffed. He’d have to take the best deal that John Chayka would offer.
Even if Larkin didn’t push the Red Wings to send him to Toronto, he still has to agree to a deal. If the Wings wanted to negotiate with the Maple Leafs without Larkin specifically requesting Toronto, Detroit still runs the risk of getting a lowball offer.
The Red Wings could take a proposal to Larkin’s camp, and that proposal might be amazing for the club, but if Larkin nixes the deal, that would be the end of it.
Perhaps Larkin could ask to go to a contender like Colorado, Dallas, or Vegas. But these are clubs that are tight against the cap. They may not have the bandwidth to go out and land Larkin and then fit his cap hit into the mix.
As such, if there’s a team in a unique position to pounce on Larkin, it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs. If a deal does indeed happen, it could happen soon, as in, before the 2026 NHL Draft.
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