The Dylan Larkin situation is coming to a head, as the former Detroit Red Wings captain will officially no longer play for his hometown team. Between public statements from his agent, Pat Brisson, and team interim GM Shawn Horcoff, news broke on Thursday that the 30-year-old center would sit out until his trade request was met.
Larkin’s ask has been a tricky situation, as the player possesses a full no-movement clause and has been very specific with his preferred list of teams. Even with an expanded list, Larkin has ruled out all Canadian clubs, which has left Horcoff in a tough spot trying to get back fair value for the 2014-first-round pick.
One club that has been consistently tied to Larkin is the Minnesota Wild, who have all of their chips in the middle with the Quinn Hughes situation looming large. General manager Bill Guerin knows Larkin well from international play with Team USA, and according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Thursday, the Wild have been the most active team in trying to acquire Larkin’s services.
Speaking with Wild sources over the last number of days, Daily Faceoff was told that the Red Wings are being “unrealistic” in what they are looking for in return for Larkin. It has long been speculated that the Wild have been dangling center Danila Yurov as the centerpiece of a trade; clearly that hasn’t moved the needle enough for the Red Wings .
Larkin has not been overly impressive this season, recording just two goals and six points through 10 games – something that the Wild have noticed. Speaking with Wild sources, there doesn’t seem to be an appetite for the Wild to up their offer given Larkin’s lackluster play so far this year.
Checking in with an Eastern Conference executive to get a feel for a league feel on the matter, DFO was told that the Wild “have to win now” and that they will have to lose a deal to acquire Larkin. In a win-now window, the executive went on the say that the Wild are “out of options” and that any team trading with them should “win the deal by a mile.”
The same executive pointed out that Guerin may need to entertain moving goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in a deal, as the 2021-first-round pick is viewed as arguably the best trade chip Minnesota has by some across the league. But it was pointed out to DFO by one Western Conference executive that the Red Wings are not in need of a goaltender given their pipeline, with Trey Augustine waiting in the wings.
When asked whether Wallstedt was potentially on the table, Wild sources emphatically told DFO that it was in no way an option to move the goaltender in a deal for Larkin. Ultimately, the Wallstedt discussion is a moot point.
Yurov and prospect center Charlie Stramel (whose name has also been out there) may not move the needle for the Red Wings – one assistant GM told DFO that those two aren’t going to net the Wild Larkin – but perhaps a third team could be involved that would see it differently. I had speculated earlier in the week about a potential three-team deal involving the Vancouver Canucks that would’ve sent center Elias Pettersson to the Red Wings; according to league sources, he is not a player valued highly by Detroit.
That brings us to the Philadelphia Flyers, who have been connected to both the Wild and Larkin, respectively, in past weeks. Speaking with team sources, DFO was told that the Flyers would be willing to act as a third-party broker to help facilitate a trade between the Wild and Red Wings.
Salary will be an issue for the Wild if they were to acquire Larkin, and winger Yakov Trenin’s name has been out there since last spring as a potential cap dump. Trenin, 29, has this year and next remaining on his contract, which carries a $3.5-million AAV and includes a 10-team no-trade clause.
According to Flyers sources, they would be willing to absorb Trenin’s contract for the right price. Stramel is a player that the Flyers have a level of interest in and would potentially be the cost of doing business for them to take on the remaining term on Trenin’s contract. The Red Wings have the cap space to eat Trenin’s salary if they wanted to, as a Central Division executive pointed out to DFO, but the Flyers are willing to play a part in a deal if there’s a necessity for it.
With at least one team willing to help get a deal over the finish line, it is now up to the Wild and Red Wings to bridge the gap in what is seemingly a large disconnect on Larkin’s value. Could a third-party team like the Flyers add to the return going to Detroit? Certainly possible, but that would surely cost Minnesota an extra asset going the Flyers’ way for their troubles. And speaking with Wild sources, they feel like the aforementioned players are already a hefty price to pay for Larkin.
There are a crop of other teams that could certainly leapfrog the Wild in the running for Larkin, and it may become a reality if common ground can’t be met between Guerin and Horcoff sooner rather than later.
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