Dylan Larkin requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings, but no trade has been pulled off yet. But a new trade pitch aimed at the Red Wings and the Los Angeles Kings sends Larkin and current contract holdout Simon Edvinsson to Southern California.
The blockbuster proposal, published late Tuesday on the PuckGM roster-building site, sends Larkin, Edvinsson and Jacob Bernard-Docker west for three veterans and three draft picks.
Los Angeles would receive Larkin and his $8.7 million cap hit, Edvinsson, a restricted free agent who according to the PuckGM scenario would be signed for $9 million per season, and Bernard-Docker at $1.6 million. Detroit would receive defensemen Mikey Anderson ($4.125 million) and Cody Ceci ($4.5 million). But the headliner heading from Los Angeles to Detroit would be 15-year veteran goaltender and 2022 Stanley Cup winner Darcy Kuemper whose cap hit comes in at $5.25 million with one year to go on his five-year, $26.25 million contract.
Detroit also collects a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick belonging to Tampa Bay and a 2029 fourth-round pick.
Red Wings’ Larkin Request and Edvinsson Standoff
Larkin, 30, is a Waterford, Mich., native whom Detroit drafted 15th overall in 2014. He has 276 goals and 367 assists in 808 games, according to Daily Faceoff reporter Hunter Crowther. His eight-year, $69.6 million extension runs through 2030-31.
“My job as the manager of the Detroit Red Wings is always to do what is in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings,” general manager Steve Yzerman said of the request, as quoted by The Hockey News. Detroit stripped Larkin of the captaincy in September, and he did not rescind the request, according to WWJ Newsradio sports coverage.
Larkin plays on anyway. He scored a goal and added an assist in his Oct. 6 season debut against Ottawa.
Edvinsson, 23, went sixth overall in 2021 and has 19 goals and 41 assists in 175 games. The 6-foot-6 defenseman had nine goals and 16 assists in 72 games last season, according to PuckPedia stats. He remains unsigned and prefers a trade, according to Sportsnet‘s Elliotte Friedman.
Bernard-Docker, 26, a right-shot defenseman from Canmore, Alberta, went 26th overall to Ottawa in 2018 and signed a two-year, $3.2 million extension with Detroit in March, according to The Associated Press.
Anderson, 27, a left-shot defenseman drafted in the fourth round in 2017, signed an eight-year, $33 million extension through 2030-31, according to TSN. Ceci, 32, drafted 15th overall by Ottawa in 2012, signed a four-year, $18 million deal in July 2025, according to PuckPedia.
Kuemper, 36, won the 2022 Stanley Cup with Colorado. He went 31-11-7 with a 2.02 goals-against average as a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2024-25, then 19-14-15 with a 2.78 average and .891 save percentage last season, according to The Hockey News Kings coverage. Anton Forsberg started every game of the Kings’ playoff sweep by Colorado.
Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings Cap and Competitive Impact
Financially, the Kings take on $19.3 million in cap hits and send out $13.875 million, a net increase of $5.425 million. The PuckGM calculation shows them over the $104 million limit before further adjustments. Kuemper’s deal expires after this season, as does Drew Doughty’s $11 million, according to PuckPedia.
Detroit sheds $10.3 million in rostered cap hits plus Edvinsson’s unsigned rights and absorbs $13.875 million, a $3.575 million increase.
Competitively, Los Angeles adds a center after Anze Kopitar’s retirement, with Larkin lining up beside Quinton Byfield, plus a 6-foot-6 defenseman. Detroit loses its top center and receives no player younger than 27, no center and one first-round pick.
Larkin’s reported list of approved destinations includes Florida, Minnesota and Las Vegas but there has been no public mention of Los Angeles, so he would likely need to waive a no-trade clause that runs through 2027-28 before shifting to a 10-team list, according to TSN.
The Kings gain the younger, higher-ceiling assets. Detroit’s return is veteran depth and the 2027 first, while the club says Larkin’s future waits for new hockey operations leadership, according to The Hockey News‘ coverage.
Red Wings Blockbuster Trade Pitch Unloads Dylan Larkin, Lands $26 Million Goalie