We're very nearly into September and, to the shock of no one, the Detroit Red Wings and Dylan Larkin haven't made any progress on the latter's trade request.
To be fair, it's hard for the Red Wings to make any meaningful progress without a general manager in place. As the interview process drags on, the runway the next GM will have to make early decisions continues to shrink. In just a little over two weeks, training camp is set to begin. After that comes the preseason, then puck drop.
With little to no progress on either front, if Dylan Larkin doesn't want to deal with unruly fans or an unhappy locker room, he needs to expand his trade list.
Why Larkin has to expand his trade list
When this whole fiasco started, Larkin offered three teams he'd be willing to go to: the Minnesota Wild, the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights. That list has now expanded to four teams, with the Dallas Stars entering the fold. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Panthers and Golden Knights are out on Larkin.
While the Wild may be Lakrin's preferred destination, as of right now, the team just doesn't have what it takes to make a trade possible. The proposed deal of Danila Yurov, Charlie Stramel and a first round pick is far from the asking price for a player that would immediately slot in as the Wild's first line center. Wild GM Bill Guerin is under immense pressure to build a competitive team. Unfortunately for Minnesota, he exhausted all of the Wild's top assets trading for Quinn Hughes.
It's now the end of August and Hughes has yet to sign an extension.
Unless the Wild are willing to get a third team involved, this process could either drag out or end in disaster. Imagine a season where Guerin failed to both secure a top line center and lost an elite defenseman for nothing. It's a nightmare in the making.
Without the required assets, the Red Wings just won't trade Larkin to the Wild. This is why the maligned captain needs to expand his list.
Other candidates Larkin could target
If Larkin wishes to go to a contender, he's got plenty of options at his disposal. The division rival Montreal Canadiens are in desperate need of a second line center and have the assets to get it done. The Carolina Hurricanes, who just won the Stanley Cup, are in need of an upgrade down the middle. Even teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning can make a deal work better than the Wild.
If it's an issue of Team USA buddies, the Tampa Bay Lighting, Utah Mammoth, New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres all have what it takes to get a deal done. If the Wild is truly the only team that Larkin wishes to play for, he'll need to wait for Guerin to pony up the assets. The Red Wings aren't going to trade him for pennies on the dollar.
This, again, leaves Larkin back to the same situation he's been in for months. He can either expand his trade list, wait for the right deal to manifest itself or he can refuse to play (and not get paid in the process).
The sooner he expands his list, the sooner he'll find his way to a new team.
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