The Dylan Larkin situation in Detroit has been hanging over hockey for almost four months now without an end in sight. It is only a matter of time before the Red Wings pull the trigger on a deal, but so far there's only been rumors. Yesterday, Jonathan Vankin over at Heavy.com proposed a trade that would ship Dylan Larkin to the Washington Capitals for center Pierre-Luc Dubois, rookie center Ilya Protas, and a first round pick in 2027 as well as in 2028.
With all due respect to Vankin, this is a ridiculous trade proposal. The Caps are not going to trade their best two-way center, their prized rookie center and 2 first rounders for Dylan Larkin. No way. Not a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks. While Dylan Larkin (30 years-old) is a good player, this would be a huge overpay for a player two years older than Dubois (28). Larkin’s salary ($8.7 million per) is comparable to Dubois’ ($8.5 million per) and they play the same position. However, this trade doesn’t make any sense for the Capitals, who are going all in to win a Cup before Alex Ovechkin retires.
The Caps are currently very strong down the middle and have probably the deepest roster in the NHL. They haven’t been this deep at center since 2018, when they hoisted the Stanley Cup. Larkin puts up points and is a vital part of the Red Wings power play, but he is not known for his defense. (He has a career plus/minus of -100. Ouch.) The past two seasons, the line of Dubois, Tom Wilson and Connor McMichael/Aliaksei Protas has been one of the toughest lines to play against in the NHL. They are tasked with nullifying opposing teams’ top lines and are damn good at it. Trading Dubois would take away the one the Capitals most important weapons.
I understand that the Red Wings want a haul for their former captain, but including Ilya Protas and two first round picks would be one of the biggest overpays in NHL history. (Anyone remember the Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat trade? Caps fans do.)
Protas is the Capitals best center prospect. They unearthed a gem when they drafted Aliaksei Protas in the 3rd round of the 2019 draft and it seems they struck gold after they drafted his little brother in the 3rd round two years ago. They have invested a lot to help the younger Protas improve his skating and develop into a potential rookie-of-the-year candidate. He led all AHL rookies in scoring last season and flashed some serious skills in four games at the NHL level last April.
As the Alex Ovechkin era comes to an end, the Capitals need those two first round picks more than ever. The past few years, the Caps have drafted very well and have a number of promising young prospects in their pipeline. Still, they are thin at goaltender and center in the minors. Maybe general manager Chris Patrick moves one of those first rounders at the trade deadline to bolster the roster before the playoffs, but I think they hang on to those picks.
Larkin is a nice player, but he isn’t worth Dubois, Ilya Protas, and two first rounders. Patrick is smart and there's no way he is going to overpay for Dylan Larkin or anyone else. Dubois missed 53 games last season, a big reason the Caps missed the playoffs in 2025-26. Ilya Protas and fellow rookie defenseman Cole Hutson are the future for the Caps. Trading Little Pro to a conference rival before his first full season would make the Caps weaker down the middle for a player on the wrong side of 30 who won't make them better.
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