Winners and Losers of Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck's Trade Requests

They've been the "get me out of here" shots heard 'round the NHL world.

Since Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck went public with their desires to leave current situations in Detroit and Winnipeg, respectively, the hockey landscape has been filled to the brim with stories about why they want out, where they might end up, and how things will look once they've been moved.

The B/R hockey types have their ears perked up for just this kind of situation, and have happily weighed in with perceptions of the winners and losers surrounding the dual, high-profile trade requests.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.

While Detroit not made the playoffs in 10 years, not won a series since 2013, and not been truly relevant in the championship chase since losing the Stanley Cup Final in 2009; it's even worse in Winnipeg, where the Jets have never won a title, missed the playoffs entirely last spring, and parlayed a Presidents' Trophy into a second-round loss in 2025, it's fixing to get worse before it gets better.

Larkin was the Red Wings' captain from 2021 to this week and had been with the organization since it selected him 15th overall in the 2014 draft, yielding 276 goals and 643 points in 808 games played since his NHL debut in 2015.

Hellebuyck is equally entrenched in Manitoba's hockey-mad capital city, having been selected 130th overall by the Jets in 2012 and won 345 games across parts of 11 seasons while racking up three Vezina trophies, an MVP, and four All-Star Game appearances.

So, on the best of days, it's going to be demoralizing for those passionate fan bases to see their homegrown stars coming to Canada Life Centre as opponents.

Loser: Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck

They'll probably both get what they want (in terms of leaving their current cities) and it's not as if either one of them will be scrambling to make rent, so by that measure, they'll be just fine.

But the respective divorces from their teams have been prolonged and messy and completely public, which won't help their reputations going forward.

In fact, ask a casual NHL fan these days what he or she knows about Larkin and Hellebuyck these days, and there's a decent chance the response will mirror "oh, those are the guys who are going to get traded."

And if you think it's been covered to death already, just wait until they show up for training camp in Detroit and Winnipeg (or in Minnesota or Buffalo or wherever).

And now that Larkin has relinquished his status as captain of the Red Wings, the perception scar might be permanent. And that's just on the outside.

Losers: Detroit and Winnipeg Front Offices

Just think how much better it'd be if this thing had gone down differently.

If Larkin and Hellebuyck had not grown disenchanted with their stays in Detroit and Winnipeg, respectively, both the Red Wings and Jets were set up for several more years of service from their (arguably) best players.

Instead, because they've both gone public with trade requests, each and every one of the remaining teams in the league will approach the Red Wings and Jets brass knowing they have them over a bargaining barrel.

Neither team is going to get what they would have otherwise gotten for dealing a player on Larkin's or Hellebuyck's level, which means the competitive oblivions that fueled the trade requests (among other factors) aren't likely to change given the likely returns for the deals when they eventually get done.

Winners: Contenders That Will Get Larkin or Hellebuyck on the Cheap

The flip side of the last slide, which narrated the likely fate of the Detroit and Winnipeg brass when the deals are made, is the glee on the other side.

It doesn't take an NHL savant to realize Larkin is a solid top-six center with 276 career goals and a better-than-50-percent win rate in the faceoff circle, nor does it take an advanced degree to understand Hellebuyck was the league's MVP in 2025 and an Olympic gold medalist last winter.

No matter what contender ponies up the necessary resources to land them, they're going to be bringing in an instant contributor toward a Stanley Cup chase without busting up a roster in return.

Winner: Fans That Want NBA-Style Drama in the NHL

Suddenly, the coolest game on ice is starting to resemble "the association."

NBA fans know that it's a place where the players have the power and can engineer their way out of the cities where they were drafted, so they can play with pals in one place or try to construct a super team somewhere else.

It doesn't always work, but it's always worthy of headlines.

It's beginning to seem a bit like that in the NHL where Larkin and Hellebuyck are following the recent leads of Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes, who went public with desires to leave Ottawa and Vancouver, respectively, and were rewarded with deals that sent them to Florida and Minnesota.

This just in: It's a players market, folks.