Detroit Red Wings

Kucherov Trade to Red Wings for Larkin Puts GM’s Job on the Line

A Kucherov trade to the Red Wings makes sense from a hockey standpoint, but it’s a deal that could determine Shawn Horcoff’s fate as GM.

by
NHL Trade Talk
November 2, 2026

According to Elliotte Friedman—or at least a source he trusts—don’t be surprised if the idea of a Nikita Kucherov-to-Detroit trade gets tossed around the rumor mill. The return would be Dylan Larkin and the reason is purely about hockey fit.

The Red Wings are trying to trade Larkin but they want a good player back. The Lightning don’t want to trade Kucherov at all, but if they have to, getting a good player back who is on a reasonable contract makes the most sense. Detroit has the cap space to do this and give Kucherov the $20 million per season he’s asking for moving forward.

It’s the kind of deal that might make sense for both teams, assuming the players agree.

Why the Red Wings for Kucherov?

Friedman notes on the most recent 32 Thoughts podcast, “Like someone said to me the other day that he could actually see from pure hockey point of view, he could see a Larkin for Kucherov. Because he said if you look at Detroit, you could have [Lucas] Raymond on one side taking the one-timers, and you could have [Moritz] Seider with a shot at the point like [Darren] Raddysh did. Right? And he thinks that that’s the way that Kucherov will think.

Kucherov mentioned that he wants to play with smart hockey players. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that there’s talk he’d like to play alongside another superstar. Whether Detroit fits that description in Kucherov’s mind isn’t clear, but he has a list of 10 teams that he would be open to joining. Pretty soon, it should be learned which 10 teams are on that list.

Horcoff Would Have a Lot Riding On a Kucherov Trade

It would be a huge swing for interim GM Shawn Horcoff. It’s the kind of deal that could see him earn the permanent GM role or secure his firing if Kucherov doesn’t sign an extension.

As is, he’s trying to make the best deals possible and is slow-moving on a Larkin trade and an extension for Simon Edvisson. Perhaps he’s being calculated. Perhaps he’s uncertain. Frankly, it’s entirely clear how much authority he has to make these big decisions. Trading Larkin for Kucherov could be his biggest decision now or in the future.

It’s a home-run-type swing. It could be a massive win or a huge disaster.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Kraken, Predators, Canadiens, Lightning & Maple Leafs