Red Wings could upset Dylan Larkin with naming of Shawn Horcoff as interim GM

The Detroit Red Wings‘ search for a general manager didn’t pay off, or they simply believe the best answer was inside the building all along. Once officially hired, Shawn Horcoff will have to sit down and talk with recently stripped-of-his-captain-role Dylan Larkin ahead of training camp and the 2026-27 NHL season.

“The Detroit Red Wings today appointed Shawn Horcoff as the club’s interim General Manager,” the Red Wings’ official statement read. “Horcof will manage day-to-day roster decisions, salary cap, and hockey operations personnel for the Red Wings – reporting to Red Wings Governor and CEO Chris Ilitch during this interim period.“

It remains to be seen how Larkin reacts to the news of Horcoff’s hire. If he was waiting for a major overhaul in the front office, learning the team will be sticking with someone who was an assistant GM during Steve Yzerman’s tenure may not be the most promising of outlooks. His NHL career is at stake, and it doesn’t look like the Red Wings have much in store for him.

Larkin’s future after Horcoff’s promotion

In the words of both the team and Larkin, the general manager search would mean a lot, and if there ever was a chance for Larkin to walk back his trade request, it was if he saw eye to eye with the new GM and his ideas for the team. Instead of a ground-breaking, eye-opening move, the Red Wings may have simply announced a figurehead.

How Larkin gets along with Horcoff and whether he believes in his plan is uncertain, but it sure doesn’t look like Detroit will be set for a 180-degree spin. Not if the Red Wings landed on someone already employed by the organization and whose job title will have the word “interim” ahead of it.

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Alex DeBrincat speaks for Red Wings about Dylan Larkin’s trade request

Red Wings make their peace with Larkin leaving

In more ways than one, it could be the Wings’ way of subtly announcing they have given up on Larkin. If he wants to leave, he knows where the exit door is; all he needs to do is expand his trade list. Otherwise, the saga that followed the team throughout the dog days of summer will extend into the season. All that will change is that a booing soundtrack will join the mix every time Larkin has the puck on home ice at Little Caesars Arena.

It may not take many hostile home games before Larkin realizes there is truly no way out but to expand his trade list, but that would take him accepting that he may not be heading for the Minnesota Wild’s organization after all.

It’s a tough decision, one that matches the high stakes of the entire situation in Detroit. As for Horcoff, handling—and finding a solution to—Larkin’s drama won’t be the only task waiting for him at his desk.

Alex DeBrincat #93 of the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center.

Contract extensions await

It took a while, but the Red Wings are finally showing signs of life in the NHL offseason. Even if it’s only announcing what has been reported and speculated about for months, naming Horcoff as the interim general manager is an encouraging sign. Not only for Alex DeBrincat, but mostly for Simon Edvinsson, who remains an unsigned RFA and can hear the clock ticking before the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in the league becomes obsolete.

Detroit announced Horcoff’s appointment just hours before the deadline (Sept. 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET). Therefore, he either dives right into work and pulls off a deal—or two—in record time, or the Red Wings wave goodbye to an eight-year contract extension for DeBrincat and Edvinsson. Starting Sept. 16, eight-year contract extensions will become a thing of the past in the NHL, with the maximum term for players re-signing with their teams dropping to seven seasons.

It may sound minuscule and as if it makes little difference, but that’s a thought that ignores the bigger picture. Ask any GM around the league if they could have one more guaranteed year with their star players, and they would take it in a heartbeat.

Horcoff will be put to the test right away

Either way, Horcoff is now at the helm in Motor City and will have to make critical decisions, in addition to negotiating with DeBrincat and Edvinsson’s camps. Detroit will start its training camp on Sept. 17, and it would be best if Edvinsson is signed to a contract by then.

Simon Edvinsson #77 of the Detroit Red Wings.

DeBrincat’s situation can wait. Of course, he may not be able to re-sign for eight more years, but it’s probable that neither he nor the Wings were interested in handing him such a long-term deal. As for Edvinsson, there are more question marks, but they will only begin to answer themselves when Horcoff and the Red Wings resume talks with the young left-handed defenseman once and for all.