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 the team’s interim general manager Shawn Horcoff, news broke Thursday that the 30-year-old center would remain seated until his trade request was met.
Larkin’s request was a tricky situation, as the player has a full no-movement clause and was very specific with his list of preferred teams. Even with an expanded roster, Larkin ruled out all Canadian clubs, which left Horcoff in a tough spot trying to recoup fair value for the 2014 first-round pick.
One club that has always been linked to Larkin is the Minnesota Wild, who have all their chips in the middle with the Quinn Hughes situation looming. General manager Bill Guerin knows Larkin well from his international games with Team USA, and according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Thursday, the Wild have been the most active team in their attempt to acquire Larkin’s services.
Speaking to Wild sources over the past few days, Daily Faceoff has learned that the Red Wings are being “unrealistic” in what they are seeking in exchange for Larkin. It has long been speculated that the Wild had been dangling center Danila Yurov as the centerpiece of a trade; clearly this didn’t shake things up enough for the Red Wings.
Larkin hasn’t been very impressive this season, recording just two goals and six points in 10 games – something the Wild have noticed. In speaking with Wild sources, there doesn’t appear to be any appetite for Wild to increase their offer given Larkin’s lackluster play so far this year.
Contacting an Eastern Conference executive to get a sense of where the league stood on the subject, DFO learned that the Wild “need to win now” and would have to lose a deal to acquire Larkin. In an immediate win window, the executive added that the Wild were “out of options” and any team trading with them would have to “win the deal by a mile.”
The same executive pointed out that Guerin might need to entertain moving goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in a deal, as the 2021 first-round pick is arguably considered Minnesota’s best trade asset by some around the league. But a Western Conference executive pointed out to DFO that the Red Wings don’t need a goaltender given their pipeline, with Trey Augustine waiting in the wings.
When asked if Wallstedt was potentially on the table, Wild sources flatly told DFO that it was under no circumstances an option to move the goaltender in a deal for Larkin. Ultimately, the discussion about Wallstedt is a moot point.
Yurov and prospect center Charlie Stramel (whose name was also released) may not shake things up for the Red Wings — an assistant general manager told DFO those two aren’t going to score on Wild Larkin — but perhaps a third team could be involved and would see things differently. I had speculated earlier in the week about a possible three-team deal involving the Vancouver Canucks that would have sent center Elias Pettersson to the Red Wings; according to league sources, he is not a player highly valued by Detroit.
That brings us to the Philadelphia Flyers, who have been linked to the Wild and Larkin respectively in recent weeks. In speaking with team sources, MPO learned the Flyers would be willing to act as a third-party broker to help facilitate trades 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 surfaced since last spring as a potential cap spill. Trenin, 29, has this year and next remaining on his contract, which carries an AAV of $3.5 million and includes a no-trade clause to 10 teams.
According to Flyers sources, they would be willing to absorb Trenin’s contract at the right price. Stramel is a player the Flyers are interested in and would potentially represent the cost of doing business for them to take on the remaining term of Trenin’s contract. The Red Wings have enough cap space to eat into Trenin’s salary if they want, as a Central Division executive pointed out to MPO, but the Flyers are willing to play a role in a deal if it becomes necessary.
With at least one team ready to help push a deal across the finish line, it’s now up to the Wild and Red Wings to bridge the gap in what appears to be a significant gap on Larkin’s value. Could a third-party team like the Flyers add to the return to Detroit? It’s certainly possible, but it would surely cost Minnesota an extra asset to help the Flyers solve their problems. And speaking with Wild sources, they feel like the aforementioned players already represent a steep price to pay for Larkin.
There are a host of other teams that could certainly edge out the Wild in the race for Larkin, and that could become a reality if common ground can’t be found between Guerin and Horcoff sooner rather than later.
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