Hours before the puck dropped for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, news broke out of Detroit regarding their longtime captain Dylan Larkin.

Per reporting from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Larkin has requested a trade from the Red Wings. This is all still very new, and according to Friedman’s original report no one involved in this situation (Larkin, his agent, or Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has commented yet.

The decision, if true, is understandable for Larkin. In his 11 years in Detroit, the center has only had the opportunity to play in five postseason games, all coming in his rookie year. In a stat that’s almost impossible to believe, the Team USA representative has played more games in the Olympics than he has Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Further reporting from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan suggests that a less than ideal relationship between Larkin and management steps from tense contract negotiations, which ultimately led to him signing that eight year year that pays him a very Sidney Crosby-esque $8.7 million a year.

And I have to imagine that two months after winning gold in Milan, a third straight season of heartbreaking collapse and just barely missing the playoffs in Detroit might have further swayed the idea to move on.

Trade rumors and ideas are already running wild, and with all of the buzz I figured I might as well look at it from the Pittsburgh angle. Is Larkin to the Penguins a long shot? Sure. But what’s life without at least a little whimsy?

Let’s start first with why the Penguins would be interested in a trade like this.

In the short term, Larkin fills an open spot at second line center. Evgeni Malkin is likely a full time winger next season, Tommy Novak is a less than ideal center in the top six, and penciling in a 19-year-old Ben Kindel as a full-time second liner next season might be a bit lofty.

Put Larkin in there and that top six gets a lot, lot stronger. Could you imagine Larkin centering a line with Malkin and Egor Chinakhov as his wingers? That’s something special.

In the longer term, though, acquiring Larkin helps achieve a longer aim for general manager Kyle Dubas. In a perfect world, Dubas would be able to already set up the next era of Penguins hockey before the old one finally hangs up the skates.

Larkin, for as long as he’s played in the NHL, is only turning 30 this summer. Sure, he doesn’t exactly fit the mold of mid-20s, undervalued player that Dubas has made a staple of his trade targets over the last few years, but he’s a headliner player who is cost controlled for years to come.

He is entering the fourth year of that extension he signed in Detroit, and that $8.7 million will look better and better as the years go on and the salary cap continues to rise.

The big question, of course, is whether the Red Wings will oblige. Larkin has been one of, if not the face of the Red Wings over the last decade. It’s hard to trade any player with that kind of symbolism to the franchise.

Larkin also has a full no-move clause in his contract, which will downgrade to a ten-team no trade list starting in 2028. So for now, he calls the shots on where he wants to go.

That certainly puts a damper on his trade value, as might his slightly less than stellar production. For as much of a household name as Larkin is, the center has only achieved a point-per-game season once, which he accomplished for the first time two years ago. He’s never done it in a season where he more than 68 games.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a phenomenal forward. He’s averaged 77.4 points per 82 games over the last five seasons. But an acquiring team has to be careful not to give up the farm for a player who, ideally, isn’t your top scorer.

As for what the Penguins could potentially offer, the conversation is interesting.

The Penguins don’t have a ton of draft picks available to them this year; the 22nd overall pick headlines a pool of only five picks currently. But, the Penguins do have one of the deepest cupboards of picks in the next few years.

Dubas has his own first in both 2027 and 2028, as well as a second-round pick of the New York Rangers next year, and second-rounders from both Dallas and Colorado in 2028. The team also has an additional third-round pick in each of the 2027 and 2028 drafts.

But here’s the problem, or at the very least, a problem. The Red Wings are now ten years into a playoff drought. After Buffalo made it this season, Detroit now holds the longest active drought in the sport. I’m not sure any team needs to make the playoffs next season more than the Red Wings.

And when you look at what the Red Wings would be looking for in exchange for Larkin, Detroit and Yzerman are likely going to look for as close to a “hockey trade” as possible.

So while the Penguins might have an edge in draft capital over some of the competing teams in the race to acquire Larkin, using picks as the principle part of the deal might not get Pittsburgh towards the front of the line. Trading for Larkin will require a pick, plus parting ways with a significant player on the roster.

When it comes to that, one of forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell would have to be a part of that deal. Rust’s no-move clause expired last year, and the winger grew up in nearby Pontiac, Michigan, cheering for the Red Wings as a kid. Rakell, meanwhile, has an eight-team no trade list and carries a slightly cheaper cap hit than Rust’s $5.125 million.

So, you’re probably looking at a first, one of Rust ot Rakell, and a third asset. To complete the trade, Dubas would likely need to throw a prospect in that’s at least in theory close to NHL ready.

Someone like Rutger McGroarty or Ville Koivunen feels a little light, but someone like Bill Zonnon or Will Horcoff (two of Pittsburgh’s first rounders last year) might feel a little heavy to Dubas.

But it’s all fascinating to think about. Larkin would love to play for a contender, which most wouldn’t exactly call the Penguins. But if you’re trying to sell Larkin on Pittsburgh, you present the chance to play with the legends still kicking it in black and yellow, paint the picture of him carrying the team to the next era, and tell him he would be a big part of propelling a team that surprised the NHL and made the playoffs last season under new head coach Dan Muse.

Like I said earlier, Larkin to the Penguins is certainly a long shot. But they should at least make the phone call, as should probably every other team in the league.