The Minnesota Wild nearly seven months removed from acquiring Quinn Hughes in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks and it’s safe to say there is no buyer’s remorse with anyone around the franchise and it could lead to an extension this summer. But somewhere in the distance, Steve Yzerman has been plotting like a Marvel villain and Dylan Larkin may have provided the perfect chance to get his revenge.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Thursday that Larkin has requested a trade from the Red Wings, which instantly makes him one of the most coveted players on the trade market this summer. The news also makes him a target for the Wild, who are desperate for a center and could have Yzerman cackling from his office as the perfect chance to get revenge after missing out on a trade for Hughes last December.
Steve Yzerman’s failed pursuit of Quinn Hughes could ruin Wild’s Dylan Larkin trade hopes
The Red Wings were key players in the Hughes sweepstakes last December and had agreed to a trade according to Detroit sports author and former Detroit Free Press beat writer Keith Gave. But Gave added it was “on the condition that Hughes agreed to a long-term deal with Detroit,” which Hughes declined.
That allowed the Wild to move in, make the trade for Hughes and transform themselves into a Stanley Cup contender. But the Red Wings went the opposite direction, missing the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.
It’s interesting to think where both teams could have gone if Hughes had agreed to an extension with the Red Wings. Either way, any hard feelings Yzerman has could come back and haunt Minnesota, especially since he has what the Wild want.
Larkin is a great fit for the Wild as the top-line center they’ve been looking for, tallying 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games last season. At 30 years old, he’s signed through the 2030-31 season with an $8.7 AAV according to Puckpedia and has familiarity with Bill Guerin after he was selected to the U.S. teams for the 4 Nations Tournament and Milan Olympics for which Guerin served as the general manager.
With that, Guerin’s eyes may have lit up like seeing a wide-open net during his playing days. But Friedman also noted that if Larkin is traded, it won’t be at a discount.
“He will not be bullied into any scenario he dislikes, no matter how much pressure is applied,” Friedman said. “It’s hard to believe, though, that someone won’t step up to make it worth his while.”
It’s important to note that neither Larkin, his agent or Yzerman would confirm his report. It’s also notable that the weak free agent market could have teams falling over each other with “Godfather” offers to get an upgrade at center. Those could be factors working against the Wild, but so could any leftover angst Yzerman has in his pursuit of Hughes.
The Wild have goaltenders Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson as top chips for a trade, but the Red Wings have one of the NHL’s deepest pipelines at the position featuring Sebastian Cossa, Trey Augustine, Michal Postava and Rudy Guimond. Danila Yurov has also been mentioned as a popular trade chip, but the Wild have limited NHL-ready talent in their early to mid-20s and just two prospects – Charlie Stramel and Adam Benak – in a top 100 list of drafted prospects by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler.
That could mean dealing current core pieces to fill some of the Red Wings’s needs that Tony Wolak of The Hockey Writers identified as “a second-line center” and “bottom-six value” but even if the Wild sent Joel Eriksson Ek or Ryan Hartman back in a deal, they could be outbid by a team offering Wolak’s No. 1 need, which is a top-six forward.
Even then, Yzerman could really enforce a tax that the Wild aren’t willing to pay or could ship him to another team knowing he trading Larkin to Minnesota could increase the odds that Hughes signs a long-term extension.
This is something Wild fans may not want to hear as a fan base that just wants to find that No. 1 center as the final piece of a championship puzzle. But now that one is available, it’s a game they may have to play as the trade market heats up and Yzerman sees an avenue for revenge.
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