A new trade pitch published late Wednesday night and aimed at the Detroit Red Wings would send center Dylan Larkin and defenseman Albert Johansson to the Boston Bruins for an impressive haul led by 10-year veteran center Casey Mittelstadt.
The Red Wings would also acquire Mason Lohrei and Pavel Zacha alongside Mittelstadt, with four draft picks, according to the proposal outlined using the tools provided by the roster-building site PuckGM.
The picks, a 2028 first-round pick, a 2029 second-round pick and two fourth-round picks, would all be Boston’s — not those acquired in other trades. Boston would pay for a center who has already asked out of Detroit with its own substantial draft capital, if the trade pitch were to become reality.
Boston Bruins Pursue Dylan Larkin in Trade Proposal
Larkin, 30, is a Waterford, Michigan, native drafted 15th overall by Detroit in 2014 out of the U.S. National Team Development Program and the University of Michigan. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound center has played 808 games for the Red Wings, with 276 goals and 643 points, according to PuckPedia’s Larkin profile.
His eight-year, $69.6 million contract carries an $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31 and a full no-trade clause through 2027-28. Larkin requested a trade after Detroit missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season, and the team promptly stripped him of the captain’s C on his sweater. But the Red Wings have been in no hurry to accommodate his request.
“Yes, he could be here all year,” owner Chris Ilitch said, as quoted by an NHL.com report.
Larkin’s list of acceptable destinations may include as many as eight teams, with Colorado and Washington named. Boston is not among the clubs identified, according to an NHL Trade Rumors roundup published last week.
Johansson, 25, was born in Karlstad, Sweden, and Detroit took him 60th overall in 2019. The 6-foot defenseman won an SHL title with Färjestad BK in 2022 and posted 11 points in 82 games last season, according to PuckPedia’s stats. He will be a restricted free agent in 2027.
Lohrei, 25, is a 6-foot-5, 218-pound defenseman from Verona, Wisconsin, whom Boston drafted 58th overall in 2020 out of Ohio State. He has 73 points in 192 NHL games.
Zacha, 29, a Brno, Czechia, native taken sixth overall by New Jersey in 2015, set career highs last season with 30 goals and 65 points.
Mittelstadt, 27, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2017, produced 42 points in 71 games for Boston. Both contracts expire after this season.
Detroit Red Wings Cap Space After Dylan Larkin Trade
Boston would send out $13.7 million in cap hits and take back $9.825 million, a $3.875 million reduction that would leave roughly $10 million in space, according to Spotrac. Detroit would fall from about $16.8 million in space to about $12.9 million.
Larkin holds the only long-term money in the deal. Boston would add five years of a top-line center beside David Pastrnak while shedding two walk-year contracts.
On paper, Boston gets the better of it on contract length and cap flexibility, and Detroit gets the better of it on draft capital and immediate depth. So — who says no?
Red Wings Trade Pitch Ships Dylan Larkin to Boston For Casey Mittelstadt-Led Haul