The Minnesota Wild’s pursuit of Dylan Larkin has been a never-ending story. What began when Larkin’s trade request became public in June has bled into the season's opening months. But the saga may finally be nearing its end after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Larkin will not play for his current team, the Detroit Red Wings, until a trade happens.
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Larkin's camp and the Red Wings talked last night and this morning, leading to him being inactive for Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan also added that while several teams are interested, the Wild “has had one of the stronger offers” to acquire Larkin and the Red Wings “are seeing who else may step up.”
At this point, it’s clear that Larkin’s camp has applied pressure to get a deal done and it may give the Wild some clarity as they look to acquire their elusive top-line center.
Dylan Larkin may finally force the Detroit Red Wings to trade him to the Minnesota Wild
Larkin’s trade request last May became public in June and has since turned into a firehose of drama over the last five months. A six-time 30-goal scorer, three-time All-Star, and key member of the United States teams at the 4 Nations Face Off and the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, Larkin grew weary during Detroit’s 10-year playoff drought and sought a trade to a winner, with Minnesota on his list of preferred destinations.
With Wild general manager Bill Guerin constructing those national teams, Larkin’s fit hasn’t been questioned. But former president of hockey operations Steve Yzerman played hardball, asking for Matt Boldy in return, before being reassigned as an advisor to Chris Illitch and the Red Wings have held out for a better offer.
As the season approached, the Red Wings stripped Larkin of his captaincy. But he still reported to training camp and has played 10 games for Detroit this season, scoring twice and recording six points.
Larkin could have kept playing until a deal was hashed out, but LeBrun reported that his camp told interim general manager Shawn Horcoff they feel Larkin has given the Red Wings “ample time since his trade request” to get a deal done, and that talks have since escalated.
“Larkin has had enough, so [the] decision was made he won’t play tonight nor in the foreseeable future, hoping a trade materializes,” LeBrun wrote on a post on X.
Wild trading for Dylan Larkin could have a massive payoff
However the Larkin drama ends, the Wild will be happy to reach a conclusion. While Minnesota has posted a 9-3-2 record in the first 14 games, they’ve done it leaning on a top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy with little help from the rest of their lineup.
Acquiring Larkin could also free up Boldy and Eriksson Ek to play on the second line and give Minnesota the scoring depth they’ve lacked in the opening month.
A deal would also cost the Wild, however, as center Danila Yurov and 2023 first-round pick Charlie Stramel have been rumored to be included in their offer and the Wild could move multiple high-cost veterans to squeeze Larkin’s $8.7 million annual average value under their $2.5 million in cap space. Futures, including first-round picks, are also likely involved and the potential for a third team could create a blockbuster that would be a steep price to pay.
"It's a futures-based offer based on what I think is a good young player, a contracted player – a veteran that makes decent money – and multiple first-round picks," The Athletic's Michael Russo said during an appearance on Daily Faceoff. "Maybe somebody can beat that. I'm sure there are teams that can beat that. What the Wild are hoping is that at some point, Detroit changes its mind on the Wild's offer."
But the reward may be getting Larkin into the lineup and potentially convincing Quinn Hughes to sign a contract extension. With Larkin’s camp putting pressure on the Red Wings, a trade could come soon and finally give Minnesota the closure they’ve been seeking after trying to pry Larkin out of Detroit.
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