Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit, yet scored in his season debut Tuesday, a 5-3 Red Wings win over the Ottawa Senators that gave the Red Wings their first win of the season after a pair of losses.
Did the goal increase Larkin’s value on the trade market? That’s hard to know at this point. But a proposal posted on PuckGM would send Larkin to the Buffalo Sabres for center Joshua Norris, Brodie Ziemer’s signing rights, defenseman Maxim Strbak and a 2027 first-round pick, with no salary retained. Whether Larkin would approve it is another matter.
Larkin, 30, a Waterford, Michigan, native, went 15th overall to Detroit in 2014. He is in the fourth year of an eight-year, $69.6 million contract with an $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31 and a full no-trade clause, according to an ESPN report. He has 276 goals in 808 games and scored 34 last season before winning Olympic gold in February, according to theScore‘s report on his season debut.
Larkin requested a trade after Detroit missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season, a franchise record, according to NHL.com. Insider Elliotte Friedman later reported the list grew to about eight clubs, with no Canadian team believed included, according to Gino Hard‘s summary of the report.
Norris, 27, a native of Oxford, Michigan, went 19th overall to San Jose in 2017. He reached Buffalo on March 7, 2025, in the Dylan Cozens trade, according to NHL.com‘s Sabres profile of Josh Norris. His $7.95 million cap hit runs through 2029-30, per PuckPedia figures. Norris has 104 goals and 192 points in 283 games. Injuries limited him to 44 games last season, when he posted 13 goals and 34 points.
Ziemer, 20, a Chaska, Minnesota, native, is an unsigned winger Buffalo drafted 71st overall in 2024. The 5-foot-11 right shot captains Minnesota as a junior after scoring 23 goals in 36 games as a sophomore, according to GopherSports.com‘s roster page. He captained the United States to World Junior gold, and his rights carry no cap hit.
Strbak, 21, born in Kosice, Slovakia, went 45th overall to Buffalo in 2023. His entry-level deal carries a $1,028,333 cap hit through 2028-29, according to PuckPedia‘s entry-level contract listing for Strbak. The right-shot defenseman had 46 points in 102 games at Michigan State, according to NHL.com‘s release on Strbak’s signing.
Buffalo Sabres Gain Most in Dylan Larkin Trade Proposal
The swap adds $750,000 to Buffalo’s cap hit and trims Detroit’s by the same amount, because Ziemer is unsigned and Strbak is expected to start in the AHL. PuckGM lists Detroit at $87.357 million with $15.924 million in room, while Buffalo is at $102.317 million with $2.424 million in room, plus $6.444 million in dead cap from the Jeff Skinner buyout, according to Spotrac‘s Buffalo Sabres salary cap overview.
Competitively, Buffalo adds a 34-goal center without surrendering Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power or Zach Benson. Detroit receives a second-line center, a college winger, a bottom-pair prospect and a first-round pick, yet still lacks a first-line center. On paper, Buffalo gets the better player and the better end of the deal.
Detroit Red Wings Face No-Trade Clause Obstacle With Dylan Larkin
Buffalo has not appeared on any reported version of Larkin’s list, so he would have to waive his no-trade clause for a team he did not choose. The clubs tied to him, led by Florida, Minnesota and Vegas, are the ones Detroit must negotiate with.
Because the deal requires his approval and returns a modest package, it solves neither the standoff nor the roster hole.
Red Wings Trade Pitch Sends Dylan Larkin to Buffalo For Josh Norris