Dylan Larkin's trade request may not be the last one after Elliotte Friedman's report
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Daniel Lucente
Jun 5, 2026 (5:13 PM)
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Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Dylan Larkin requesting a trade from the Detroit Red Wings sent shockwaves through the NHL on Thursday.
But the biggest consequence might not land in Detroit at all.
Elliotte Friedman reported Larkin's request on Sportsnet, citing a fractured relationship with Steve Yzerman and a decade without meaningful playoff hockey as driving factors.
Friedman added a broader observation that changes the calculus for every front office in the league.
"I don't think it's going to be the last trade request of the offseason."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
Matthew Tkachuk forced his way from Calgary to Florida. Quinn Hughes leveraged his way from Vancouver to Minnesota.
Now Larkin is using the same playbook in Detroit. Each move normalizes the next one, and the pattern is accelerating.
The extension window Ottawa cannot afford to waste
Brady Tkachuk's contract with the Ottawa Senators expires after 2027-28. The earliest Ottawa can begin extension talks is July 2027.
That leaves more than a full calendar year for Tkachuk to watch every disgruntled captain in the league successfully force a move to a contender.
The speculation is already deafening. Tkachuk went pointless in Ottawa's first-round sweep against Carolina.
He publicly called the trade rumors frustrating and a distraction during the Senators' breakdown day.
But Friedman himself noted Ottawa would only trade Tkachuk if the situation were forced upon them.
The problem is that forced-upon-them scenarios keep materializing around the league.
Tkachuk holds a full no-movement clause. That clause used to mean a team had its star locked down.
After Tkachuk, Hughes, and now Larkin, it means the player holds all the cards.
Ottawa's real offseason opponent is the calendar
Steve Staios needs to build a roster convincing enough that Tkachuk never picks up the phone.
Every front office watching Larkin's request play out in real time understands the stakes. The Senators do not have the luxury of another quiet summer.
If Ottawa enters 2026-27 without meaningful upgrades, the next captain trade request Friedman reports might come from the nation's capital.
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