The Detroit Red Wings are in a state of flux, as they not only need to find a new general manager, but also need to get some sort of clarity on Dylan Larkin. The captain requested a trade back in early June, as he had grown frustrated with the lack of playoff appearances for the majority of his career, and due to a frosty relationship with Steve Yzerman. Now, with Yzerman out, Larkin and everyone else will have to wait and see what is next for the star center, to see whether he's staying or still wants out.
Larkin had a limited number of teams on his trade wishlist which included the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, and Minnesota Wild. The Golden Knights and Panthers are essentially ruled out at this point in the offseason. As for the Wild, it's no secret that they want to add Larkin, as he'd fit the bill for their need for a No. 1 center. The thing is, the Wild didn't make a strong enough offer to the team while Yzerman was the face of the front office. They are essentially holding out hope that the new Red Wings general manager will be willing to trade Larkin to them.
But let's just say that Wild fans aren't so confident in that happening.
Wild fans in The Athletic survey don't like team's chances of acquiring Dylan Larkin from Red Wings
The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith recently conducted a survey among 4,600 Wild fans to gauge how the base is feeling on certain topics (subscription required). Russo and Smith asked Wild fans, "do you think the Wild will be able to pull off a Larkin trade?" 68-percent of Wild fans say no. Interestingly enough, the belief more stems from the Wild not having the proper assets to acquire Larkin, as opposed to the Red Wings not trading the center to them.
"The reality is that most Wild fans don’t feel the Wild can get it done at this point, and part of the rationale is that the assets being offered won’t change," write Russo and Smith. "It’s not like [Bill] Guerin is suddenly going to offer up Boldy, Eriksson Ek or Faber. As the cliché goes, it is what it is, and Minnesota’s prospect pool is what it is at this point after giving up a haul for Hughes, tossing away Marat Khusnutdinov and striking out with David Jiricek.
Red Wings fans know all too well what teams could offer for Larkin, based on his trade wishlist. For the Wild, while they do make sense as a landing spot for Larkin, they have seriously depleted their prospect pool, mostly due to the Quinn Hughes trade. To get the star defenseman from the Vancouver Canucks, the Wild sent out Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, and Liam Ohgren, three of their top young players. Without them, the Wild don't have many young players and prospects to offer that other teams would like.
Danila Yurov and Charlie Stramel are arguably Minnesota's top two young players on the roster. While that may be the case, they don't necessarily move the needle to convince a team like the Red Wings to give up their top center.
A new general manager could play significant role in Dylan Larkin trade chances
Everything all hinges on who will replace Steve Yzerman as the general manager in Detroit. One has to imagine once the Ilitch family hires their new face(s) of the front office, they will then meet with Larkin to at least try to mend fences. If that is not feasible, then we all move onto trade talks.
If Larkin does request a trade, will he expand his list to other teams? Larkin was stingy with his initial wishlist when Yzerman was the general manager. Let's not forget, the Panthers pivoted from Larkin in favor of Brady Tkachuk, while the Golden Knights don't have the cap space to fit Larkin's contract. Would the new Red Wings general manager accept a futures-based deal that includes a combination of Yurov, Stramel, and draft picks? That will be a huge question for both Wild and Red Wings fans.
Regardless of what happens with Larkin, Red Wings fans now know that a certain chunk of the Wild fanbase isn't confident their team can land the center.
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