Just two weeks ago, the 2026 NHL Draft looked insignificant for the Detroit Red Wings.After trading their first-round pick for Justin Faulk back in March, the Red Wings are slated for only Day 2 picks this year — a range in the draft that has yet to yield much for them under general manager Steve Yzerman. Detroit still needed to do as well as it could to find a player or two outside the first round, but realistically, the draft was shaping up to be a secondary piece of its offseason.But as with so many other things about the franchise, Dylan Larkin’s trade request has turned that presumption on its head.The Red Wings may still not make a first-round pick on June 26. But with the very real possibility Larkin is dealt before (or during) the 2026 draft, Detroit could easily find itself on the clock, making a suddenly key selection.Odds are, it won’t be one of the true premium picks at the top of the draft. But the Florida Panthers, one of the reported teams on Larkin’s trade list, hold the No. 9 pick. The New Jersey Devils, with whom Larkin’s team USA teammate Jack Hughes plays, have the 12th. The Utah Mammoth, one of the most ideal potential trade partners for Detroit, have the 19th.Here’s what you need to know in case the Red Wings end up with a pick in that range.The centersOnce the Red Wings trade Larkin, they will have a glaring hole at the No. 1 center position in the present and the future.Detroit used a pair of top-10 picks on centers Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and both should have real value to the Red Wings’ lineup in the years to come. Kasper has already shown how impactful he can be at his best, and even if the offense doesn’t become high-end, it’s not hard to envision him as a matchup center in the mold of Vegas’ William Karlsson. Meanwhile, Danielson has a little more natural skill and playmaking, though Detroit will be looking for him to be more assertive with his game going forward. And last season’s breakout story, Emmitt Finnie, could eventually become a factor down the middle, too.But still: None of them projects as a true No. 1 center. That’s a problem in the short, medium and long term.No matter what happens between now and June 26, the Red Wings almost certainly won’t be in a position to pick Brantford Bulldogs center Caleb Malhotra, expected to be the first center off the board this year. But if they were able to get into the top 10, specifically with the Panthers’ pick at No. 9, there is at least a chance they could draft Swedish pivot Viggo Björck — whom The Athletic’s Corey Pronman narrowly ranked as the best center in the class, but who could be picked later than that because of his size at 5 feet, 9 inches.Of course, Björck’s size could be an issue for the Red Wings, too. In Yzerman’s time in Detroit, and at his previous stop in Tampa Bay (a combined 15 years of sample), he has only twice used a first-round pick on a forward below six feet tall: Lucas Raymond at No. 4 in 2020 and Jonathan Drouin at No. 3 in 2013. Neither was below 5-10.