Has Anything Changed in Detroit Involving Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson?

The NHL season is underway, and several interesting storylines are taking shape, including the Detroit Red Wings situation involving Dylan Larkin, Simon Edvinsson, and Alex DeBrincat.

The Red Wings have had a chaotic start to the season, given the general manager change on July 15. While Shawn Horcoff ran day-to-day operations, he didn’t have the authority to sign contracts or make trades until September 15th, when he was named Interim GM after a general manager search that is still ongoing.

Everyone was wondering what would happen in Detroit this season, given Dylan Larkin’s trade request, the mishandled contract negotiations with Simon Edvinsson, and the apparent “non-existent” extension talks with Alex DeBrincat.

However, Detroit has some good news amid the chaos: Alex DeBrincat signed a seven-year, $91 million extension with a $13 million cap hit to stay with the Red Wings. Word has always been that DeBrincat was last on the priority list behind Edvinsson and Larkin, but the Red Wings knew they could get this done while the hockey world focused on the other two players.

Interim General Manager Shawn Horcoff got some work done in the dead of night. As Full Press Hockey documented, DeBrincat always wanted to stay in Detroit, but wanted fair market value. He asked to be traded to the Red Wings while with the Ottawa Senators for a reason. Family played a big role in that decision.

However, DeBrincat needed fair market value. When Kyle Connor ($12 million AAV), Jason Robertson ($12 million AAV), and Mikko Rantanen ($12 million AAV) are being paid like goal scorers, DeBrincat wanted similar money. With the cap going up, the starting mark was $12 million. He got $13 million for being the 40-goal scorer the Red Wings need.

Goal scorers don’t grow on trees, so when you have them, you pay. Again, if things had continued down a rocky road, maybe DeBrincat would be part of the ripple effect in Detroit, but instead he stays and hopes to right the ship.

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Trade List Remains the Same

And where did that ripple effect talk come from? The trade request Dylan Larkin put in at the end of the 2025-26 season. While it remains all quiet on the Dylan Larkin front, as his position hasn’t changed and he wants to be traded, at least he showed up to play for the Red Wings.

Dylan Larkin took his medicine hearing it from the fans in the home opener as a scratch and when he touched the puck in his first. It surprised many that Larkin suited up for the Red Wings, given what happened in the home opener and what was expected going into it. But at least he’s there, unlike Connor Hellebuyck, who remains a holdout in Winnipeg.

While his trade list expanded to 10 teams, he still wants to go to the contending teams in the United States. Right now, playing in Canada is unlikely, but as Elliotte Friedman said, you never say never.

Everyone saw how he was treated in Montreal over the weekend with the “We Want Larkin” chants. The Montreal Canadiens checked in with Detroit about Larkin. The player has considered it, but as Friedman notes, he isn’t sure how likely it is. But the Canadiens told Detroit that if he is willing to come to Montreal, a deal can be made.

Again, this is on Dylan Larkin, but Canada has an opportunity; right now, it is still a no.

Could a Deal Be Close?

As for Simon Edvinsson, it is still status quo. He prefers a trade, given his frustrations with the contract negotiations. Edvinsson is coming back to North America to train, but that doesn’t mean a deal is close. He may have been able to file paperwork to return to the country to train and be closer to the Detroit Red Wings if a deal gets done.

The Red Wings prefer to sign him. They have told teams that it is the goal and priority, but they are listening on that front as well. Again, the return for Edvinsson would be NHL players who can help the Red Wings compete now. The Red Wings want to maximize their return. Some teams would be willing to pay that price.

The Red Wings are open to any term with the player, but if it is a seven-year deal, it will be $10 million and $11 million.

Given what’s happened in Detroit recently, you have to wonder whether things are moving in the right direction with the Alex DeBrincat signing. If Shawn Horcoff can salvage two of these three players, it is a win for the Red Wings. Though internally, they want to keep both Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson.

It will be a fascinating ride as Edvinsson’s December deadline approaches.

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