The Minnesota Wild have started the season with a 10-3-3 record and there’s a good reason to believe help is on the way. Brock Faber’s recent clearance from a skull fracture is one thing that can leave one optimistic and more reinforcements are coming, as Jared Spurgeon, Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno were all at Thursday’s practice as they recover from injuries.
But the biggest domino that has yet to fall is a trade for Dylan Larkin. The former captain of the Detroit Red Wings remains in a standoff from last summer’s trade request and the Wild have tried just about everything to bring Larkin to Minnesota as a way to fill their need for a top-line center.
If the Wild are able to pull off a trade for Larkin, it would be a significant addition. But it also could cost Minnesota the depth that has made them successful during the opening month of the season.
Trading for Dylan Larkin could force the Minnesota Wild to sacrifice their depth
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, no team has tried harder to acquire Larkin than the Wild. In addition, the rumored offer could include Danila Yurov, Charlie Stramel, two to three first-round picks and forwards Yakov Trenin and/or Ryan Hartman. There’s also a possibility the Wild could throw Bobby Brink into the deal for some added upside and a piece that could help the Red Wings right away, but Detroit has waited for a better deal to come along.
Those who have watched the Wild know that Trenin and Hartman are being thrown in for salary reasons. Even Brink, who has given the Wild energy and defense even as he has just one goal and nine points in his first 17 games, may be a modest asset to give up. But the Wild also need to field a complete team and adding Larkin could create some problems.
The Wild’s top-six forwards would be solidified with Larkin’s arrival and he could slot into a line next to Kirill Kaprizov. While Kaprizov is rolling on a top line with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, Larkin’s arrival would allow John Hynes to break it up and create a secondary scoring line, with Maxim Shabanov and Blake Coleman moving into the top six.
The real issue the Wild could have is the bottom six. While the Wild could slide their ideal fourth line of Nick Foligno, Marcus Foligno and Michael McCarron to the third line, it lacks the scoring punch you would want from that group. It also deprives Minnesota of an emerging player like Yurov, who has six goals and seven points in 17 games but also draws penalties with his speed and contributes on the defensive end.
Minnesota has some pieces to fill the fourth line as Nico Sturm is still under contract. They could also keep Tyler Pitlick at the NHL team while finding a permanent home for Reiger Lorenz, who impressed during his brief stay with the Wild earlier this year. But it leaves a lot of questions and could raise questions about whether investing it all for Larkin is a wise move.
Wild’s Dylan Larkin trade pursuit could weaken their biggest strength
Larkin does bring upside as a six-time 30-goal scorer. He is also a good friend of Quinn Hughes, who is waiting for something that makes him sign a contract that could be north of $20 million per season. But even if the Wild trade for Larkin, Hughes said there was no guarantee he would re-sign if he were traded to Minnesota.
“I see stuff like that, ‘If Larks comes, I sign the next day,” Hughes said via The Athletic’s Joe Smith. “Obviously, I love Larks because he improves our team, but I love the hockey aspect here. That’s not something I’m talking to [Wild GM Bill Guerin] about and would impact anything.”
Even worse, it creates more holes that Guerin would need to fill. That would require more draft capital to fill those holes and a team that may have to rely more on its defense and goaltending to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Fans won’t care after the adrenaline rush they would have if the Wild are able to complete a deal. But for a team that entered Thursday with the most points in the Western Conference (25), it’s fair to wonder if maintaining their depth and rolling with what’s working may be the best option moving forward.
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