Florida is targeting Dylan Larkin? The Finnish forward could be part of a trade.
Aleksander Barkov‘s injury has placed the Florida Panthers in the midst of trade speculation. The Finnish star was injured in a game against the San Jose Sharks and underwent an MRI on Friday. No further details about the severity of the injury have been released yet.
If Barkov’s absence extends for a long time, Florida may need to seek reinforcement for their offense. A possible acquisition mentioned in trade rumors is Detroit Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade over the summer.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman commented on the situation during an NHL Network broadcast. According to him, Florida expects Barkov to be sidelined for some time, but hopes the absence will be short.
However, acquiring Larkin would not be straightforward. According to Friedman, Detroit wants a ready player in exchange rather than draft picks or player prospects.
At this point, Eetu Luostarinen‘s name comes up. Friedman considers the Finnish forward as one possible player who could move to Detroit as part of the trade.
Luostarinen has been mentioned in Florida’s trade scenarios before. His name came up in discussions when the Panthers were pursuing Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Luostarinen has won two Stanley Cup championships in Florida, in 2024 and 2025. In the last season of 2025–26, he played 73 games in the regular season and recorded stats of 11+22=33.
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