With fewer impact players expected to hit free agency this summer, there has been considerable buzz that more veteran players will be moved in trades, according to ESPN. That chatter increased after Detroit center Dylan Larkin requested a trade during the Stanley Cup Final, and ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identified six mutually beneficial summer swaps.
One hypothetical deal would send Larkin to the Florida Panthers for Anton Lundell, Mackie Samoskevich and a 2026 second-round pick (Washington), with Florida also sending a 2026 seventh-round pick (Calgary) to Detroit, according to ESPN. The proposal notes Larkin is 29, holds a full no-trade clause and has reportedly approved only three destinations: Vegas, Minnesota and Florida, a situation that gives Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman limited leverage, ESPN reports.
ESPN’s Kristen Shilton wrote that the Panthers could view Larkin as a top-tier center addition after a disappointing 2025-26 season and after Aleksander Barkov missed the year because of ACL and MCL tears. Lundell, the No. 12 pick in 2020, produced six goals and 18 points during Florida’s last Stanley Cup run and posted 18 goals and 44 points in 64 games when Barkov was out. Samoskevich, Florida’s 2021 first-round pick, finished with 12 goals and 32 points in 77 games. The package would give Detroit roster pieces and a draft asset to aid its long-term depth, Shilton wrote.
Another ESPN-proposed swap would send Jake DeBrusk to the Colorado Avalanche, Valeri Nichushkin to the Washington Capitals, and two draft picks — a 2026 first-rounder from Anaheim and a 2026 third-rounder from Nashville — to the Vancouver Canucks. ESPN’s write-up said Colorado, swept in the Western Conference final, could use help with secondary scoring and the power play; DeBrusk had 19 power-play goals last season, third in the NHL, and brings a net-front presence that could boost 5-on-5 scoring.
ESPN noted Washington missed the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot by four points and described Nichushkin as an experienced, two-way winger who is 6-foot-4 and a three-time 20-goal scorer. The scenarios from ESPN’s Clark, Shilton and Wyshynski illustrate the kind of veteran movement the network expects this offseason as teams seek both immediate help and longer-term assets.
