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What would a Dylan Larkin trade mean for the Canucks and Elias Pettersson?
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
By Jacob Fraser
Jun 10, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 10, 2026, 14:10 EDT
A lot of the talk centred on the Vancouver Canucks’ offseason has been about the future of Elias Pettersson. Given that a new regime has taken over, the team is in the early stages of a rebuild, and two straight disappointing seasons from their supposed star player. The question has been, what does the future look like between Pettersson and the organization under this new regime, and does it make sense to trade him?
Heading into free agency, there aren’t many needle movers, especially down the middle of the ice. This could have been somewhat helpful in getting a team to pay meaningful value to acquire Pettersson, that was, of course, until Dylan Larkin requested a trade out of Detroit.
Now let’s break down why. Larkin is currently coming off a 34-goal, 33-assist season for 67 points in 74 games with the Detroit Red Wings. Pettersson, on the other hand, is coming off a 15-goal, 36-assist campaign with the Canucks for 51 points in 74 games.
The point totals, especially in the goal column, are a fairly big difference. Not only has Larkin outproduced Pettersson substantially the past two seasons, but the contracts are very different. Larkin is on an $8.7-million deal with five years remaining versus Pettersson’s $11.6-million cap hit for another six seasons.
A $3-million difference for a player who has shown more offensive capabilities as of late is a no-brainer when comparing what would be more appealing to a team looking to acquire a top-six centreman.
That being said, it’s been reported recently that Larkin has submitted three teams he would be willing to go to. Those teams are the Florida Panthers, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Minnesota Wild.
Larkin does have full control over his destiny as he has a full no-move clause, but the assets those three teams have to offer likely wouldn’t be enough to get a deal done. Because of that, we could see other teams enter the mix in these trade discussions, all of which would still be appealing landing spots for the Red Wings captain.
No matter how many teams realistically have a chance at landing the star centremen, on the flip side, the teams that miss out on Larkin could get far enough in the process of bringing in that calibre of centre, they might talk themselves into swinging back to Vancouver for Pettersson.
With so many teams needing or wanting to improve their depth down the middle, Larkin is the clear number one option in the current market. And while he isn’t officially on the market right now, Pettersson could arguably be considered the second option teams could inquire about.
One of the teams that could have some serious interest in Pettersson following the aftermath of a Larkin deal could be the Red Wings themselves.
The Yzerplan has not gone as desired, and the captain of the team asking out, especially as a Michigan native, is a massive blow to their organization. Their lack of moves at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is what started this all, and the addition of Justin Faulk at this year’s deadline was not enough to push them over the edge. However, what’s the messaging to other star players like Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider if they trade Larkin for a futures-based package?
With Pettersson potentially being the best fit out there as a replacement for a top-line centre role within an organization, he could be a good fit for Yzerman and the team he is building.
We’ve seen this many times, where a team trades a star player for future assets and then, in quick order, flips some of those assets to bring in other impact players. I.E., what the Canucks did with Bo Horvat in trading that first-round pick for Filip Hronek.
Is Pettersson good enough to come into Detroit and replace Dylan Larkin in his entirety? We wouldn’t say so with what we’ve seen over the past few seasons. But if a change of scenery brings back the 100-point player he once was, fills that top-six centre role at a discounted acquisition price, there may not be a better option out there for a desperate Yzerman – that is, of course, if Pettersson wants to go there.
Ultimately, this comes down to what actually ends up happening with Larkin. This is likely going to be the trade that sets the market for this offseason.
What do you think, Canucks fans? Do you want to see Pettersson get moved this offseason? Do you think there’s a real market out there for him? Or do you think he should stay put and hope to regain his confidence under a new management group and coaching staff? Let us know in the comments below!
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