Detroit Red Wings face real risk this summer as another top goal scorer could be on his way out

David Pagnotta reported on Real Kyper and Bourne that multiple clubs have started calling about the Detroit Red Wings winger.

That is worth tracking. But there is a distinction most coverage is not drawing. Larkin walked into Steve Yzerman's office and requested a trade. He drove this. DeBrincat has not.

Teams inquiring about a player and a player demanding out are fundamentally different events.

DeBrincat posted 39 goals and 82 points in 2025-26, his second consecutive 39-goal season.

He carries a $7.875 million cap hit through 2026-27 before hitting unrestricted free agency.

He grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan, wanted to come home, and has not been to the playoffs since 2020 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Nothing public from his camp suggests he wants out.

Moving Larkin generates assets and clears the path on cap structure. That clarity makes a DeBrincat extension the most logical move of Yzerman's offseason.

If Detroit locks him in before July 1, the story shifts from collapse to reset.

If Yzerman does not get that done, the second superstar slipping away framing becomes self-fulfilling.

DeBrincat is heading into his walk year at 29. A front office that traded its captain and still could not extend its best scorer would send a message no free agent in this league ignores.

Clubs phoning Yzerman about DeBrincat is normal market behavior. It reflects what buyers want, not what Detroit plans.

The Red Wings have roughly $30 million in cap space and the NHL's longest active playoff drought.

Getting DeBrincat signed is the single most important transaction Yzerman completes this summer.

Losing him too would confirm what many already suspect about the Yzerplan.

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