Another day, another major rumor involving the Florida Panthers.
Despite their season ending without any participation in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in seven years, the Panthers have been in the middle of the news quite a bit over the past several weeks.
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A big reason why is the top-10 draft pick Florida’s injury-plagued season yielded them.
That ninth overall selection at the 2026 NHL Draft, which is set for later this month at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, gives the Panthers a major asset to shop around with.
To this point, Florida has been mentioned in the same breath as several big-names potentially available via trade, though the biggest have been goaltenders Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington.
That is likely due to the Panthers not having any goalies under contract for next season, and the reported gap in extension negotiations with longtime netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.
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But now, Florida’s name has come up with perhaps the biggest name that could be on the move this summer.
Last week it first was reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that longtime Detroit Red Wings star forward Dylan Larkin had requested a trade, news that sent shockwaves across the NHL.
Larkin, who will be 30 years old on Opening Night, has a full no-trade clause in his contract, which pays him an average annual value (AAV) of $8.7 million through the 2030-31 season.
He’s averaged 32 goals and 70 points over the past five seasons in Detroit, where he’s played his entire 11-year career after growing up 30 miles outside the city in Waterford, Michigan.
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Unfortunately for Larkin and the Red Wings, he has not touched the ice for a playoff game since his rookie season back in 2016.
Enduring year after year of regular season failure has seemingly been enough to push Larkin to request a trade out of town, and on Monday we learned that he handed Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman a short list of teams that he would accept a trade to.
According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, that list included the Vegas Golden Knights, the Minnesota Wild and the Panthers.
None of those three teams are particularly surprising, as each of them are very much in win-now mode.
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Vegas is two wins away from a second Stanley Cup in four seasons, and the Wild are certainly on a short list of teams in the Western Conference that would be considered Cup contenders.
The Panthers are expected to return to the level of play we’ve seen from them in recent seasons, with a deep roster full of players in their primes who have championship experience.
One would have to think that of those three options, a Florida offer would have to be something significant for Yzerman to trade Larkin within the Atlantic Division, but with the player holding the majority of the power, it could make for an interesting back-and-forth between the two teams.
Another major element to consider is that the Panthers already have three high-end centers locked into long-term contracts: Sasha Barkov, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell.
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Barkov is not going anywhere, and while GMs from across the league have called Florida about Lundell over the past several seasons, he’s another player that Florida has no intention of giving up.
Bennett has shown to be an integral piece of Florida’s lineup, as evidenced by how the team struggles when you remove either of their top two centermen from the roster. His gritty, tenacious nature that combines with the natural offensive skill create a player who personifies the kind of hard-nosed hockey that the Panthers have perfected under Head Coach Paul Maurice.
So where would Larkin fit in if Florida wasn’t willing to part ways with either of the aforementioned centers?
It’s not unheard of for a player who takes faceoffs to play a wing position, as is the case with Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen with the Panthers.
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Depending which side of the ice a faceoff is taking place, Maurice will sometimes have a different player take the draw.
The point is, just because the Panthers are already set down the middle with centers, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t make room for Larkin without disrupting their incredible depth.
But the room will have to come from somewhere.
Florida’s ninth overall pick would likely be involved in any Larkin deal, but what else would it take?
The Red Wings will likely want something in return that will also help them win now, as they will potentially be trying to break their 10-season playoff drought without their captain and best player in Larkin.
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An interesting potential trade was constructed by The Athletic’s Max Bultman and Corey Pronman.
In that deal, Florida would send their first-round pick along with Luostarinen and prospect Sandis Vilmanis to the Red Wings in exchange for Larkin.
To be honest, my first thought when viewing that deal was, “That’s all it would take?”
Vilmanis has looked like he’s ready to become a solid middle-six forward next season after a strong initial showing with Florida this year, while Florida has been able to hide Luostarinen with their depth, keeping the highly skilled, two-way forward who is a natural centermen as a bit of a secret weapon on their third line.
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This deal would be interesting financially for Florida, as it would add $5.7 million to their cap hit for next season (Larkin’s $8.7M hit minus Eetu’s $3M hit), leaving the Panthers with around $9.5 million in cap space to sign two goalies and any depth pieces, as well as their three restricted free agents, forwards Mackie Samoskevich and Cole Schwindt and defenseman Donovan Sebrango, if they so choose.
Still, one would have to think it will take more for a team to pry Larkin away from the Red Wings, especially when dealing with a division rival.
It also will depend on the kind of offers that Vegas and Minnesota would potentially put together, as well as the possibility of Larkin’s list of teams growing between now and next season depending on how things play out with his original three.
Any deal including Florida’s first round pick would need to happen between now and June 26, when that selection will be made in Buffalo.
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What do you think it would take for the Panthers to acquire Larkin from Detroit? Is that something you’d be interested in, or should Florida try to update their roster in other places, like in goal?
Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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Photo caption: Jan 17, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) skates away with the puck in front of Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images)
