Dylan Larkin’s reported trade wish list reveals hard truth for NY Islanders

The rumor linking Dylan Larkin to a potential trade request has certainly been fascinating.

For New York Islanders fans, though, the more interesting takeaway might be who reportedly made Larkin's short list—and who didn't.

According to reports, if Larkin were to leave the Detroit Red Wings, his preferred destinations would be the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Minnesota Wild.

That's not exactly surprising.

Those are three teams that either recently won a Stanley Cup, played for one, or are viewed as legitimate contenders heading into next season.

The Islanders simply were never going to be part of that conversation.

That's not meant as a criticism. It's just the reality of where the franchise currently sits.

The Islanders have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and are coming off another disappointing finish in which a late-season collapse cost them a postseason berth. While there is plenty of optimism surrounding Matthew Schaefer, Ilya Sorokin remains one of the league's elite goaltenders, and the roster still contains quality veterans, the Islanders are not viewed in the same tier as Florida or Vegas right now.

And honestly, that is okay.

The bigger issue is that adding Larkin probably never made much hockey sense anyway.

The Islanders are already heavily invested down the middle with Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Brayden Schenn and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Trading significant assets and taking on another major contract to add a fifth high-profile center would have created as many questions as answers.

It's easy for fans to see a star player become available and immediately imagine him in blue and orange.

But sometimes the fit isn't there.

In this case, the Islanders were never one of the teams Larkin reportedly wanted—and they probably never should have been one of the teams pursuing him either.