Boston Bruins
Larkin has six seasons of 30 or more goals under his belt across 11 years with the Red Wings.
Dylan Larkin won an Olympic gold medal with Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
June 4, 2026 | 6:13 PM
5 minutes to read
COMMENTARY
If the Boston Bruins want to reestablish themselves as a sustainable contender club moving forward, a retooling roster needs to anchor its depth chart with a proven, top-line pivot.
It’s a task easier said than done.
All things considered, Boston’s pipeline of talent down the middle has made some strides over the last few years — be it at the NHL level in Pavel Zacha and Fraser Minten, or with the arrival of prospects like James Hagens and Dean Letourneau.
But as Cam Neely was quick to note last month, that upside doesn’t equate to the Bruins outright solving one of their most pressing needs moving forward.
“We all in this room recognize we don’t have a true number one [center], and that’s something that we want to try to rectify, whether it’s this offseason or those guys growing into it,” Neely noted at Boston’s end-of-season presser at TD Garden.
Well, a No. 1 center might just be out there for the taking this summer.
Citing multiple sources, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Thursday that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has requested a trade, with the top-line pivot seemingly dissatisfied amid the Original Six franchise’s 10-year playoff drought.
Detroit exec Steve Yzerman might hold some sway over the next steps for a Red Wings team still mired in playoff purgatory. But as Friedman noted, Larkin holds plenty of sway over his next destination — which could impact what type of haul his current team eventually nets.
“He has a full no-trade clause both this season and next, so his control over the situation does not change July 1. He’s a top-line centre in a league desperate for centres, so there’s going to be a ton of interest. His play at the 4 Nations and Olympics was stellar. That’s going to excite potential trade partners.”
And, if a team like Boston is on Larkin’s short list of potential suitors, Don Sweeney and Co. should be more than willing to pony up a significant package to pry the top-line center from Detroit.
At face value, Larkin checks off plenty of boxes for a Bruins team trying to inject speed and skill into their lineup and complement a core anchored by franchise stalwarts like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman.
Larkin, who will turn 30 before the start of the 2026-27 season, would fit right in with Boston’s current core — giving the Bruins a proven option down the middle to accelerate this current window and cash in on this group’s prime years.
The fleet-footed center projects as a steady, two-way center who is dangerous in transition, can score off the rush, and uses his speed to generate looks for his linemates. Larkin — who has served as Detroit’s captain since 2021 — has scored 30 or more goals in six seasons, and has averaged 70.8 points a season from 2022-26.
He has some familiarity with McAvoy and Swayman, as the trio won Olympic gold in February with Team USA at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games.
Larkin’s offensive production could also spike if paired with a scoring wing like Pastrnak, while Swayman would stand as the best netminder he’s played alongside after years of middling returns in Detroit.
Larkin is also signed for another four seasons to a contract with an average annual value of $8.7 million — fair value for a proven 1C and a cap hit that should only continue to age well as the NHL’s salary-cap ceiling continues to soar over the next few years.
In terms of the fit, Larkin makes a ton of sense for a Bruins team that needs more game-changing talent, especially down the middle.
But, it won’t come cheap if the Bruins are serious about outbidding other teams for the Michigan native’s services.
Barring Larkin taking a page out of Taylor Hall’s book and dictating that he’d only accept a deal to a team like Boston, the Bruins are going to have to part with significant picks, prospects, and NHL assets to bring in a player of his caliber.
Granted, the Bruins are in better shape than in previous years to actually dive into this sweepstakes thanks to their cupboard of draft picks and burgeoning prospect pipeline.
Boston has its own first-round pick for the next four seasons, to go along with what should be unprotected first-round picks from the Maple Leafs and Panthers in 2028. They also have a deepening prospect pool with youngsters like Hagens, Letourneau, Will Zellers, and Cooper Simpson.
A Detroit team that is still looking to compete moving forward with key cogs like Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Alex Debrincat all still in place could also value a legitimate 2C in Pavel Zacha — fresh off of a 30-goal, 65-point season.
If the Bruins have some reservations about signing Zacha to a long-term extension that could pay him at a price point similar to Larkin’s current contract, flipping a good player like him for an upgrade at the center position could be a good bit of asset management for Boston.
Could a package involving Zacha, two first-round picks, and a prime prospect like Zellers be enough to get the deal done?
Detroit might seek more young talent down the middle with Letourneau or even Hagens, which would put Boston at a fascinating inflection point of weighing potential against proven results.
There’s still plenty of unpack over Larkin’s reported decision — especially when it comes to his preferred destinations and whether or not that might lessen the asking price for the few clubs that hold some appeal for him.
But if younger, top-line pivots like Robert Thomas aren’t available (or are available only for an exorbitant price), an established talent like Larkin is a worthwhile target for a Bruins team that is trying to ensure that last season’s brief playoff run wasn’t a flash in the pan.
“Even at the trade deadline as you’re exploring, whether it’s this time or the summertime, you realize that when you do make a call about a player of that nature you’ve just described [a first-line center], the guy on the other side says there’s not even 32 of them in the league,” Sweeney noted last month about the difficulties of adding a 1C on the fly.
There may not be 32 first-line centers in the league. But, one of the proven ones is now up for grabs.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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