There are many reasons that the Minnesota Wild and Dylan Larkin make absolute sense as a trade match following the Detroit Red Wings captain’s trade request.This Minnesota team might be a No. 1 center away from being a true Stanley Cup contender and is heavily motivated to make a big swing this summer. There’s certainly mutual interest with Larkin and the Wild, who are one of three teams on a list of preferred destinations he gave Detroit, per multiple league sources. The others are the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights.Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, not one to be backed in a corner, will surely try to expand that list and doesn’t have to be in any hurry to trade Larkin, who has five more years on his contract at $8.7 million per year.Larkin and Wild superstar Quinn Hughes are really good friends, like brothers. And the Wild brass, from president of hockey operations and GM Bill Guerin to coach John Hynes, got a first-hand look at how valuable Larkin can be during Team USA’s gold-medal-winning run at February’s Olympics and last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Guerin was the GM of that team and Hynes was an assistant coach.Larkin, also friends with American teammates Matt Boldy and Brock Faber, is a no-doubt, slam-dunk fit.But whether the Wild can pull off another blockbuster is a bit more complicated for one main reason:They don’t have a ton of trade chips.“You know how many teams are going to be in on Dylan Larkin?” said former NHL GM Craig Button, now TSN’s director of amateur scouting. “Here’s the problem for the Minnesota Wild. I don’t think they can get Dylan Larkin for what other teams are going to be able to offer Detroit. That’s the cold, hard reality.“They don’t have the pieces. Too many other teams have the pieces. If I’m Steve Yzerman, it’s not worth it.”The Wild exhausted a lot of their trade capital in the Hughes mega deal in mid-December, trading top prospect Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren and their 2026 first-round pick. Sure, there are solid prospects left, like Charlie Stramel and Danila Yurov. But it’s debatable whether those are the kinds of chips that can get you somebody like Larkin on an affordable contract.
The Wild’s pursuit of Dylan Larkin faces one major obstacle: Trade capital
It makes all too much sense for the Wild to do whatever they can to make a trade. But it has to make sense for Wings GM Steve Yzerman, too.
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