Detroit Red Wings officially suspend Dylan Larkin

Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff announced the move in an official statement. He confirmed that Larkin:

The suspension does not end the search for a new home. Horcoff made clear the Red Wings will “continue to explore trade opportunities involving Dylan,” but he also laid out two conditions that complicate things.

First, any deal requires Larkin's approval. That has been the sticking point for months, with the 30-year-old reportedly limiting his preferred destinations to a list of 10 teams.

Second, Horcoff stressed that a trade must be “in the best interests of the Detroit Red Wings” and support the organization's long-term goals. In other words, Detroit is not about to take whatever it can get just to close the book on this situation.

That stance fits what the club has shown all along. Reports have said Detroit wants immediate help in return, not a futures package.

Larkin asked for a trade in early June and was later stripped of the captaincy. He still has five years remaining on his $69.6 million contract, which runs through the summer of 2031, so the Red Wings hold plenty of leverage even while paying him nothing.

The standoff now puts real pressure on both sides. Larkin loses his paycheck every day he sits out, while Detroit loses a top center it has said is part of a better team.

Horcoff closed the statement by thanking the coaches and players for their “continued focus” and for “being committed to competing every day.”

Expect trade talks with the Wild, Devils, and other suitors to heat up.

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