The last thing in the world that Red Wings boss Steve Yzerman wants to do is make the Florida Panthers stronger than they have been. While the Panthers did not even make the playoffs this season, there’s no reason to believe that the injury problem that afflicted the team once again.
If the Panthers gets stars like Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennet, Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand back at anything close to full strength, the Panthers will be formidable.
Adding a star like Dylan Larkin to the mix would seem like it’s a move that a healthy Panthers team does not even have to make, but that would not be the case.
Florida became a championship level team when they acquired Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames prior to the 2022-23 season and there is no way that Panthers general manager Bill Zito is going to pass on Larkin if he has a chance to bring him into the fold.
Panthers have championship pedigree and that appeals to Larkin
The chance to play for the Panthers might be the ideal team for Larkin. He has not had a chance to participate in the postseason since his rookie season. He has gone 10 years without competing in the playoffs and he is clearly sick of failing to get to the postseason. Larkin would have to look at head coach Paul Maurice and the Panthers as a sure-fire playoff team in the 2026-27 season, and he could be the key player that helps them get back to the promised land.
While it’s up to Yzerman to make the trade, Larkin can at least influence the deal. While he wants to be traded, he has a no-trade clause in his contract. He has his list of teams that he would be willing to play for and he could expand that by two or three teams, but he is not going to go somewhere he does not want to be.
The Panthers are hungry to return to their former status, so they are not going to give away Tkachuk, Reinhart, Bennett or Marchand. However, a deal for two players and a draft pick could entice Yzerman to make a move. Eetu Luostarinen could be one of the respected members of the Panthers who is involved in a trade to the Red Wings.
Luostarinen has played six full seasons with the Panthers after having a cup of coffee with the Carolina Panthers in 2019-20. Luostarinen is an excellent two-way center who is more accomplished on the defensive end of the ice than he is at putting the puck in the net. He had 11 goals and 22 assists a year ago and he played in 73 games.
Luostarinen had his best offensive total in 2022-23 when he totaled 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points. However, he was at his peak when it mattered most. He played a key role in Florida’s back-to-back postseason runs in 2024 and ’25. He was dynamic in the second of those two Stanley Cups as he scored 19 points in 23 games.
If Yzerman can be convinced to make a deal with the Panthers, Zito will have to sell that version of Luostarinen to help that deal come to fruition. He was at his best and most productive in the most important games, and his Stanley Cup pedigree would help the Red Wings to play their best hockey when the playoffs are on the line.
Red Wings could use the determination of Evan Rodrigues
If the Red Wings are going to make a trade of their star center and still find a way to improve without Larkin, it will be the result of adding determined players. In addition to Luostarinen, they need a proven big-game performer in Evan Rodrigues.
Since coming to the Panthers, Rodrigues has shown that he plays his best hockey in his biggest games. Rodrigues is an 11-year veteran who has spent the last three seasons with the Panthers. He scored 11 goals and 20 assists last season for 31 points in 69 games. He had his most productive offensive season with the Pittsburgh Penguins 2021-22 when he scored 19 goals and 24 assists and demonstrated that he could win the battles in the corners and the defensive end of the ice.
Rodrigues has also shown that when the Stanley Cup is on the line, he will get to a new level. He had 15 points in each of the two Florida Stanley Cup runs. The center averaged better than 15 minutes of on-ice time in both of those journeys, and he won 55.1 percent of his faceoffs in ’24 when the Panthers won their first Stanley Cup.
Both Luostarinen are hard-working hustlers who get the most out of their talent in the most crucial games. This will appeal to Yzerman and make it difficult for Zito to say goodbye to them, but neither player compares to Larkin as a goal scorer. That is why the Panthers are going to have to include a premium draft pick in such a deal.
If the Panthers are going to offer Luostarinen, Rodrigues and a high draft pick — first- or second-round — it could help the Red Wings to move his high-scoring captain to the Panthers.
The post Panthers’ perfect trade offer for Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin after trade request appeared first on ClutchPoints.
