The Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t afraid to take a big swing.
The pitch in front of them right now is coming out of Detroit — they could trade for Dylan Larkin.
Larkin is the former captain of the Detroit Red Wings who lost his ‘C’ in the offseason after requesting a trade.
Despite the request, Larkin hasn’t been traded yet — he’s actually suiting up for the Red Wings in the meantime despite whatever risk might come from that.
Eventually, though, it still seems like Larkin might be traded.
And the latest trade winds are swirling a bit toward Tampa Bay.
Lightning Dylan Larkin Trade Update
The latest take on the Lightning and Larkin comes from Sportsnet’s Michael Amato.
He wrote on Sunday that he thinks Tampa Bay can be a real player for Larkin.
The recent reported update to Larkin’s trade list helps, because he now has said he’ll approve a deal to the Bolts.
But more than that, going after Larkin is a move that seems like something the Lightning would do.
“The Lightning are notorious for going all in under Julien BriseBois, and why wouldn’t they?” Amato writes. “Tampa has been a perennial contender and looks to be that way once again with a strong start to the season. But a player like Larkin could really put the Lightning over the top and back on track to claim another Stanley Cup.”
Amato goes to write that acquiring Larkin could move Anthony Cirelli down a line, which would improve the overall forward depth for the Lightning.
Challenge for Lightning
Amato then breaks down the fact that while this would make a lot of sense, Tampa Bay would still have a few things to get in order to get a deal done.
“The challenge for Tampa is creating a bit of cap space and building a return that Detroit would be willing to take,” Amato writes. “The Red Wings have indicated they want an impact player in return, something that would be challenging for the Lightning to pull off given most of their key players have trade protection. Tampa would have to build a package around future assets, which could include Conor Geekie, other prospects and first-round picks in 2028 and 2029. The Lightning don’t own their 2027 first. We’ve seen BriseBois trade two first-rounders for Yanni Gourde in the past, so there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t do it for Larkin, a much more impactful player. There’s a willingness from the Lightning to keep this competitive window open as long as they can, and adding Larkin would be a big step towards that. ”
Through Sunday, the Lightning are 7-3-1 with 15 points on the season. They’re already a good team, and Larkin would make them better.
Given that they’re on his trade list, it seems to make sense that the Lightning will think long and hard about a deal for Larkin.
Lightning Get Update on Trade for Dylan Larkin