Oilers Blockbuster Trade Pitch Lands Dylan Larkin For Matthew Savoie-Led Haul

Dylan Larkin would leave Detroit in a new trade pitch aimed at the Edmonton Oilers . The proposed trade would ship Larkin out from the Red Wings after his widely publicized trade request.

The proposal's return is topped by former No. 9 overall pick Matthew Savoie, two prospects and a 2028 pick, and raises the obvious question of whether Detroit would accept that light a package for its franchise center?

The idea, posted on the trade construction site PuckGM, sends Larkin to Edmonton for forward Savoie, forward Josh Samanski , defenseman Beau Akey and the Oilers' 2028 third-round pick. Larkin, 30, is a 6-foot-1, 204-pound center from Waterford, Michigan, whom Detroit drafted 15th overall in 2014, according to NHL.com's biography. He has played all 808 of his NHL games with the Red Wings, piling up 276 goals and 643 points, and served as captain from January 2021 until Detroit stripped him of the "C" this September after he requested a trade.

Dylan Larkin's Trade Request Complicates Any Deal

Larkin is signed through 2030-31 on an eight-year, $69.6 million deal carrying an $8.7 million cap hit and a full no-trade clause, according to contract details published by PuckPedia.

His camp has reportedly circulated a preferred-destination list that skips Edmonton, according to reporting from the Detroit Free Press .

"He could be here all year," owner Chris Ilitch said, according to NHL.com , while interim general manager Shawn Horcoff called a rebuild "out of the question."

Financial and Competitive Fit for Both Franchises

Detroit already sits comfortably under this season's $104 million cap ceiling, so shedding Larkin's hit would only widen room the Red Wings do not appear to need. Edmonton is tighter, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl alone earning a combined $26.5 million, according to salary cap tracking site Spotrac , meaning Larkin's $8.7 million would strain that flexibility further.

The return centers on Savoie, a 22-year-old winger and Buffalo's No. 9 overall pick in 2022 before a 2024 trade sent him to Edmonton. He just finished his first full NHL season with 18 goals and 37 points in 82 games skating alongside McDavid, according to NHL.com 's official Oilers statistics . Samanski, a German-born forward signed as an undrafted free agent, appeared in 24 NHL games last season, and Akey, a 21-year-old defenseman still working back from shoulder surgery, has yet to play in the league, according to scouting profiles from Elite Prospects .

Ranking the return, Savoie stands clear of the pack, with Samanski a distant second and Akey's injury-slowed development leaving him the longest-term project.

Edmonton would gain a proven top-line center for a fraction of his market value, but the fit clashes with a roster already built around two superstar pivots and a tight budget. Detroit, meanwhile, would surrender its most identifiable player for pieces that do not replace his production, contradicting Horcoff's own belief the Red Wings sit close to contending.

Larkin has also played just five career playoff games, meaning Edmonton would be betting on postseason pedigree he has rarely had a chance to show.

If the proposed scenario somehow became reality, Edmonton would clearly get the better of it, landing a top-six center locked up for five more years for three players who combined produced less last season than Larkin did alone.