The Detroit Red Wings are days away from opening the 2026-27 season.

And somehow, the Dylan Larkin situation is getting louder.

Fresh reporting surrounding Larkin’s trade request has significantly expanded the number of teams that could potentially become involved in negotiations with Detroit. What once appeared to be an extremely restrictive list of destinations may now include approximately eight teams.

That doesn’t mean a trade is imminent.

It does mean interim general manager Shawn Horcoff may have considerably more options than Detroit appeared to have earlier this offseason.

According to the latest information from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, there are more teams Larkin is willing to join than previously reported. Colorado, Washington, Dallas and Tampa Bay were specifically mentioned among the possibilities.

That comes after Florida, Minnesota and Vegas had previously been identified as preferred destinations.

Suddenly, the trade market looks much different.

Dylan Larkin’s Expanded List Changes the Equation

The biggest obstacle facing Detroit has always been Larkin’s trade protection.

When his request became public in June, then-general manager Steve Yzerman confirmed that Larkin’s representatives had provided the Red Wings with a “short list” of teams he would consider. Larkin has five years remaining on the eight-year, $69.9 million contract he signed in 2023.

That gave him significant control over the process.

An expanded list changes that.

Recent reporting indicates Larkin could now be willing to approve a move to approximately eight American teams, potentially giving Horcoff more opportunities to find a deal that actually helps Detroit.

The development was first reported Friday, when Larkin’s trade list was revealed to be considerably larger than originally believed.

The timing is impossible to ignore.

Detroit opens its regular season Friday against the New York Rangers.

Red Wings Don’t Have to Trade Larkin

More potential destinations shouldn’t be confused with a guarantee that Larkin is going anywhere.

Detroit still controls the other half of this equation.

Larkin remains under contract through the 2030-31 season, and the organization has consistently indicated it isn’t interested in simply dumping its top center to satisfy his request.

Owner Chris Ilitch recently said Larkin could remain with Detroit for the entire season, while Horcoff has been careful not to reveal details of the organization’s conversations with the former captain.

“We’ve had good talks with Dylan,” Horcoff said when Larkin addressed his trade request during training camp. “We’re understanding of where he’s coming from. We’re going to take this day by day. We’re going to see where this goes.”

That remains important.

Detroit isn’t rebuilding from scratch. If the Red Wings move their best offensive center, they need a return capable of helping the NHL roster rather than simply collecting draft picks for some distant future.

And that makes teams such as Colorado, Washington, Dallas and Tampa Bay interesting additions to the conversation, but complicated ones.

Larkin’s Status Looms Over Opening Night

There is another issue approaching Friday.

Larkin has been working his way back from an upper-body injury suffered during off-ice training before camp. He returned to practice last week but did not play in Detroit’s preseason finale.

That creates two separate questions surrounding No. 71.

Will he be healthy enough to play against the Rangers?

And, increasingly, how much longer will he be a Red Wing?

Larkin requested a trade after Detroit missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. The organization later announced it would begin this season without a captain, ending Larkin’s run with the “C” he had worn since 2021.

Yet he remains Detroit’s most accomplished center and one of its most important offensive players.

That’s why this situation isn’t simple.

The Red Wings don’t have to trade Dylan Larkin.

Larkin doesn’t have to approve a destination outside his list.

But if that list has indeed grown from a handful of teams to roughly eight, the number of potential paths to a deal has expanded considerably.

And with opening night only days away, the noise surrounding Detroit’s former captain isn’t disappearing.

It’s getting louder.