The Minnesota Wild are a few weeks away from the official start of the offseason. But if you buy the rumor mill, they may only have eyes for Dylan Larkin. The captain of the Detroit Red Wings has become the top available asset on the trade market after his request for a trade earlier this month and when you combine his Team USA connections along with the Wild’s need for a center, he becomes an obvious target.
Seeing Larkin in a Wild uniform would be an excellent outcome this summer, but the question the Wild have to ask is how long they want to wait. Anthony Stewart of Sirius XM may be the commentator that bursts Minnesota’s bubble as they try to work out a trade for Larkin and he believes the Red Wings could carry the situation into next season and leave the Wild in a dangerous waiting game.
“I would not be surprised to see this creep into the season,” Stewart said. “We know Steve Yzerman conducts business on his terms. He’s not afraid to play hardball. And I could see this going into potentially October [or] November. …A lot of jobs are riding on the success of next season. They’re not just going to get rid of [Larkin] for the sake of getting rid of him. They need some tangible assets that can help them get over the top now.”
The Wild must have a deadline in Dylan Larkin trade talks
Stewart’s comments present a familiar refrain in the Larkin saga. While Larkin wants a trade, the Red Wings have missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons including the last seven since Yzerman took over in 2019. If it weren’t for his status as a franchise legend, he may have already been fired and trading his captain for nothing may be another step toward getting handed a pink slip.
Because of this, the Red Wings have had a high asking price and the Wild may not have the assets to match it on their own. While Minnesota could get a third team involved to throw more into the fold, the Wild still have to give up attractive assets to make a deal happen, which could drag out a complicated process.
Yzerman has also shown a patient approach before, eventually winning requests from Martin St. Louis and Jonathan Drouin during his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Larkin under contract for five more seasons, he also has leverage, demanding he returns to the team to begin next season and waiting for some team to meet his asking price.
If this happens, the Wild have a decision to make. While the Wild were one of the best teams in the NHL last season, a large portion of that team could be out the door including Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko. With Marcus Johansson already choosing to go back to Sweden, Minnesota may have to fill three top-six spots in free agency with just $9.4 million in projected cap space according to Puckpedia.
There could also be several other solutions coming off the board. The New York Rangers seem poised to deal Vincent Trocheck at some point this summer and the Wild could also pivot to Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks, Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils or even Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs should they become available.
Those options may not be as perfect a fit as Larkin, but it would be better than coming up empty-handed and rolling out the same group of centers with the hope that Danila Yurov suddenly becomes a top-line center.
It’s a waiting game that could ultimately determine which moves the Wild can make this offseason and one that Minnesota must have a backup plan in case the Red Wings completely dig their heels in this summer.
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