Dylan Larkin's standoff could hand the Maple Leafs an Atlantic advantage

Dylan Larkin is at a standoff with the Detroit Red Wings over his future and the Maple Leafs can take advantage if there's going to be turnover in the Motor City.

This summer, Larkin made a trade request that initially only had three teams in mind, though he would later slightly expand his options. But one thing was certain, Larkin wanted out of Detroit. Steve Yzerman stepping down was thought to lead way to a better relationship between the two, but it's reported he would still like to leave.

If that's the case, then the Red Wings are going to be down not only one of their best players, but their best centre and captain.

Larkin, 29, had 67 points in 74 games this past season with Detroit while also securing a gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics and for his career has 643 points in 808 games (all with the Red Wings).

Detroit has no realistic way to replace Dylan Larkin if he leaves

Detroit is in an unenviable position as they don't have a backup plan if Larkin leaves, and not only will that mean they are down their captain but also their best two-way threat. Centre is already a premium, but having a knack for defence goes a lot further than just solely being offensive minded.

The organization has Andrew Copp, JT Compher, and Michael Rasmussen as their other pivots according to Puckpedia's current depth chart, and none of those players come close to the offensive or defensive part of Larkin's game.

And at only $8.7-million he's a bargain compared to other deals that have been signed like Leo Carlsson's ($18M AAV) or Trevor Zegras' ($9.125M AAV) while giving you a proven 30+ goal scorer who can also play the power-play, kill penalties, and mentor your younger players.

No doubt that the Red Wings would get a big haul for him however that doesn't necessarily improve them immediately, and it may be couple seasons before they have those young pieces ready to contribute regularly - if Larkin leaves, then it seriously harms Detroit's chances at the postseason this year.

Toronto only needs couple of rivals to lose ground in the Atlantic

But where one door closes, another opens and that means the Maple Leafs have the perfect chance to leapfrog the Red Wings and be in the thick of the playoff race.

Toronto went through an overhaul this summer by transforming their bottom-six, adding Sergei Bobrovsky to add some goaltending insurance, and drafted Gavin McKenna. It's a brand new team with a brand new mentality heading into 2026-27.

All they need is a break. With Ottawa losing Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers, and now Detroit potentially losing out on Larkin, that's two key rivals who are going to have a hard time trying to compete with the beefed up Atlantic - so long as Larkin doesn't end up with the Panthers too.

Don't expect the Maple Leafs to become leaders of the division, but jumping over last year's fifth and sixth-place teams is a pretty good foundation and should give Toronto the confidence as they progress through the season.

Plus, one hot streak from the Maple Leafs and suddenly they are threatening the top-3 of the division with Detroit unable to keep pace without Larkin.

Toronto may not be able to acquire Larkin but his departure helps them nonetheless and makes the Atlantic Division just a little bit easier.

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