Washington Capitals weigh a franchise-altering move as Dylan Larkin trade rumors heat up. Could landing the Detroit Red Wings’ top center cost the Caps Ilya Protas and jeopardize their long-term future?
Host Dan Holmi examines Detroit’s aggressive scouting of Capitals games, the potential trade packages involving Protas, first-round picks, and NHL-ready forwards, and the high stakes of chasing one more playoff push during Alex Ovechkin’s final season. The conversation focused on balancing “win-now” urgency with preserving prospects for the post-Ovechkin era, all while navigating cap space and trade rivals like Minnesota, Carolina, and Utah. Is Dylan Larkin worth the price, or could the Caps risk gutting their roster depth for immediate gain?
Don’t miss this deep analysis of the Washington Capitals’ most pivotal decision yet.
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I hope Patrick keeps his head through all this…the Caps are not desperate, the Wings are. If it was me in that chair, Protas is staying. I think Larkin for Strome is a fair hockey trade, with some extras thrown in considering Larkin is slightly better.
Larkin over Kucherov?
I don’t want to see Lil pro go.
I don't think Ilya Protas is any good so if he turns into Dylan Larkin I'd be happy
Maybe a Pld and Miro trade. And a 2nd or lower draft pick. Keep the Pro bros here together and definitely don't move Strome
Dylan Larkin
Whereas I don't personally endorse trading Strome for Larkin, there are admittedly some very potent arguments for doing so:
*Strome has one year left on his deal after this season and will easily get 12-14 million on the open market. Larkin, by contrast will have 4 more years of term left on a very team-friendly deal, carrying a cap hit of 8.7 million. For the Caps, it's easy to see why this would make a trade centred around Strome and Larkin compelling. Not only does this ensure they will have the space long-term to sign Hutson; it also frees up enough cap space long-term to resign the Protas brothers in the following year.
*Whereas Strome and Larkin should be relatively close in value, the additional term on Larkin's deal does give Detroit a valid argument to at least ask for a decent sweetener in the deal. The benefit though is that this sweetener wouldn't be outlandish, meaning that the Caps would still be able to emerge from this trade with enough assets to pull a separate trade for an impact right-handed d-man to round out this roster. If we assume they trade Strome, Miro and their 2027 2nd round pick for Larkin, and then ship Sandin, Beauvillier/Liljegren, Parascak and their 1st rounder in either 2027 or 2028 for that much needed upgrade at defense, they should be in a strong position to contend for the next five years without much (if any) turnover to their main roster.
*Larkin is a faster skater than Strome, so his skating ability should mesh better with the likes of Hutson and Leonard if the desire is to infuse more speed and footpace into their game.