Dylan Larkin would prefer playing with his good friend but it may not be easy

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Detroit Red Wings captain has genuine interest in joining the Vegas Golden Knights, largely because of his close friendship with Eichel.

The timing is understandable - Detroit has missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, and Larkin has played in exactly five postseason games across his entire career.

Larkin just helped Team USA win Olympic gold and posted 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games this season.

He is playing the best hockey of his life at 29, and he wants it to matter in June.

But the conversation around this rumor is almost entirely about the friendship. What it should be about is the number sitting on Vegas's cap sheet.

Eichel signed an eight-year, $108 million extension last October that carries a $13.5 million cap hit starting in 2026-27.

Combined with Larkin's $8.7 million, that is $22.2 million committed to two centers under a $104 million salary cap.

Vegas already has roughly $99 million in commitments for 2026-27 according to Spotrac.

Alex Pietrangelo's $8.8 million can shift to LTIR, which helps, but GM Kelly McCrimmon still needs to re-sign free agents and fill roster gaps.

Fitting Larkin means moving real salary out. That is a harder proposition than the friendship narrative suggests.

Larkin holds a full no-trade clause through 2027-28, which means he picks where he goes.

Even if he puts Vegas on his list, McCrimmon would still need to assemble a return package that convinces Steve Yzerman to part with his franchise center.

That package has to compete with offers from teams that do not have $13.5 million already locked into the same position.

The friendship makes for a compelling narrative, but it is the cap sheet, not the group chat, that will decide whether Larkin ever wears a Golden Knights jersey.