NHL Rumors: New Team Linked To Dylan Larkin Trade
Two team sources confirmed to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Mike Sielski that the Flyers have strong interest in Larkin.
The caveat arrived just as quickly. Larkin is not currently believed to consider Philadelphia among his top preferred destinations.
Who Larkin Is and Why the Market Is Big
Larkin posted 67 points in 74 games this past season, carrying a 29-year-old's legs and a $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31.
He has been Detroit's best player and its captain throughout a ten-year playoff drought that has been one of the most frustrating organizational failures in recent league history.
His frustration boiled over when the Red Wings made no significant moves at the trade deadline for a second straight year despite another season trending toward a missed playoff, and per Friedman, Larkin made his desire to compete somewhere more legitimate known to the organization.
Pierre LeBrun: Re Dylan Larkin trade request: My understanding is that Steve Yzerman has been handed a short list of teams at this point - The Athletic (6/5)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 7, 2026
Friedman also added critical context on The FAN Hockey Show Friday regarding Larkin's preferences.
"I think Larkin's not going to want to go to a team that's far away, or a team that's rebuilding, or a team that's on the fringes," Friedman said. "If he wanted that, he would just stay in Detroit. I think he wants to go to an established power, like a Minnesota, a Tampa, or a Dallas."
Philadelphia, despite its playoff appearance this spring, does not fit that description yet.
What a Trade Would Cost
William James of Philly Hockey Now noted any deal for Larkin almost certainly starts with the Flyers' 2026 first-round pick, given Detroit traded away their own first-rounder to St. Louis in the Justin Faulk deal.
Owen Tippett has been identified as a potential trade chip given his breakout second-round playoff performance.
The Flyers' center logjam complicates any return package Detroit would want, with Zegras untouchable and Couturier carrying a no-movement clause.
Elliotte says no one has spoken on the Larkin trade request. He thinks Matthew Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes changed the league by refusing to sign with their teams, then going on to find greater success. Doesn't think this will be the last trade request of the season. Larkin winning… https://t.co/FIcwS63MXv
— The Grind Line Podcast™ (@GrindLinePod) June 5, 2026
The Flyers have $37.5 million in projected cap space and could absorb Larkin's cap hit without salary retention, which strengthens any offer financially.
Whether Larkin's no-trade clause preference list includes Philadelphia is the obstacle neither organization can solve through roster construction alone.
Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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