Earlier this month, Detroit Red Wings forward (and former captain) Dylan Larkin's purported trade list expanded to seven teams. What started as just the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild expanded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche and Washington Capitals.
This time around, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, the list has expanded even further. The newest contenders in the Larkin sweepstakes include the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and Utah Mammoth, bringing Larkin's list up to 10 teams -- nearly a third of the league.
With so many options at their disposal, the Red Wings finally have some flexibility with trading their top center.
Here's what the newest candidates of the Larkin sweepstakes have to offer Hockeytown:
The Hurricanes have one big thing in common with the Red Wings
Don't let the standings fool you: the Red Wings and the Hurricanes have quite a bit in common. Neither possess your prototypical first line center. Both carry a high-end shutdown defenseman - Moritz Seider in the Red Wings' case, and Jaccob Slavin in the Hurricanes' case. But what's most familiar about their situation is their standing with their younger yet-unsigned defenseman.
The Red Wings, of course, still have yet to sort out the Simon Edvinsson conundrum. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, are dealing with yet-unsigned restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin. If the Red Wings are truly set on moving on from Edvinsson, Nikishin is likely the headlining piece of a deal with Carolina.
In order to become cap compliant, the Red Wings may need to take on some salary from the Hurricanes, as well. If the Hurricanes want to move Jesperi Kotkaniemi - and the Red Wings are interested in taking him on - they might be able to get some higher-end prospects from the Hurricanes along with draft picks. Kotkaniemi's contract runs through 2029-30, but absorbing it opens up the potential for players like Felix Unger Sorum and, potentially, Bradly Nadeau.
Devils offer intriguing upside
It seems like a bit of a long shot that the Devils would be interested in Larkin. After all, they've already got two great centers in jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. But perhaps trading for Larkin is the set-up piece for something much larger. The Devils, after all, feature two Hughes brothers: Luke and Jack. If they're hoping to bring Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild into the fold, a great way to bring it over the top is to include Quinn's old friend Dylan.
This is where things get fun for the Red Wings.
Since interim GM Shawn Horcoff understands how much pressure Wild GM Bill Guerin is under, he can get Guerin and Devils GM Sunny Mehta in a bidding war over Larkin. In order to meet the Red Wings' asking price, the Devils would likely need to move someone like Dawson Mercer along with a prospect like Alexander Command or even Anton Silayev and a high pick.
But, again, the Devils are already deep at center, so it might be a bit of a long shot.
Utah offers biggest prizes yet
Perhaps no other team has to offer what the Utah Mammoth have. The Mammoth, per The Athletic's rankings, boast the sixth best prospect pool in the NHL. Its headliners include Caleb Desnoyers, a high-end center prospect currently playing for the Tucson Roadrunners and Tij Iginla, a lethal sniper making his AHL debut this season.
Both prospects are extremely highly touted and, after moving around some money, the Mammoth can certainly work out a deal. But, with that said, the Mammoth have a luxury of center depth that few teams possess.
This offseason, they signed Vincent Trocheck, adding him to their already robust center depth of Nick Schmaltz, Barrett Hayton and, if needed, Logan Cooley, who is more than capable of taking on the center role. Should the Mammoth pull trigger on a Larkin trade, they'll either need to send a center back (with Hayton likely going the other way) or transition a player to the wing. Larkin, of course, could always play wing, but it's in the Mammoth's best interest to play him at center.
Either way, the Mammoth offer the best upside and most intriguing outcome of a potential trade.
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