The Detroit Red Wings are holding on to a sliver of hope, but Dylan Larkin isn’t budging in his trade request. As long as there isn’t a general manager, Larkin’s trade won’t materialize, and with the 2026-27 NHL season around the corner, the clock is ticking for the club in Motor City.
Still, a report around the Red Wings suggests neither the start of the new NHL season nor training camp is putting Detroit on the clock. Instead, it’s the timeline set by the organization, which is now scrambling to meet the deadline and take the first step toward solving the situation surrounding Larkin and the overall uncertainty surrounding the Winged Wheel.
“They were endeavouring to have the next person in place by Labor Day, so we’re coming up on that this week,” Frank Seravalli stated on Sportsnet’s The FAN Hockey Show.
With Labor Day in 2026 falling on September 7, the Red Wings are running out of time. Whether Larkin is running out of patience as well remains to be seen, but it’s clear the deadline is coming up and failing to meet it would only bring more trouble Detroit’s way—and it’s not like the Red Wings haven’t had enough of it already.
Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Larkin’s presence at training camp could raise eyebrows
The Red Wings will kickstart their training camp ahead of the 2026-27 NHL campaign on Sept. 17, exactly 10 days after the reported timeline to hire Steve Yzerman’s successor as general manager. Even if the Red Wings meet the deadline, the new leadership group would have little time to work with and would have to either trade Larkin or convince him to stay.
Thus, it’s very likely the disgruntled captain—whose status as captain is at stake for next season—will be on the ice for the start of training camp, making everything much more chaotic than it has to be. Perhaps Larkin holds out of training camp and makes his desire to leave even more noticeable. Either scenario is far from ideal and would leave Detroit in a pickle.
Clearly, the best plan is to figure things out before the team reunites at the Belfor Training Center. Whether it’s trading Larkin or convincing him to stay, that’s where the problem is—and what the new general manager will have to figure out in a little over a week, if he even has that much time.
The Red Wings are standing in front of a high-stakes domino effect. Mixed with thrill, anxiety, and fear, Detroit must let the first chip fall before watching everything unfold. It can be disastrous or magically healing, but there’s only one way to find out. And the reported timeline indicates the Red Wings have less than a week left before things kick off.
Yzerman is long gone
While many remain wary of Yzerman’s new role as senior adviser to governor and CEO Chris Ilitch after he stepped down (or was forced to do so) as executive vice president and general manager, a report states Yzerman is no longer a loud voice within the organization. His new role may be nothing more than a formality and a charming title to soften the fall for one of the best players in franchise history.
“Even though Yzerman is still technically part of the organization, he really has no influence, no say, nothing,” Ansar Khan said during an appearance on the Oilers NOW with Bob Stauffer podcast. “It’s just a figurehead position of consulting that he’s in. Yzerman is out of the way.”
Still, a replacement has yet to be named. The clock is ticking, the pressure is on, but the Red Wings haven’t disclosed much. If they made any progress in their search, they sure have kept their cards close to the vest.
