ST. PAUL, Minn. — Better late than never.That can be said of both the speech Bill Guerin was supposed to deliver inside Buffalo’s KeyBank Center on Friday night after being named NHL General Manager of the Year, and the big trade the Minnesota Wild boss still hopes to consummate in the days ahead for Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin.It had to be a little awkward for Guerin to get cut off the big screen in the middle of his planned interview with commissioner Gary Bettman on Day 1 of the NHL Draft.“Things happen,” the Wild’s president of hockey ops and GM said, laughing, adding that he was grateful Bettman put him back on the screen later in the first round.It had to be even tougher for Guerin to sit and watch several other clubs make big trades during the night, knowing his big swing could be impacted — and is still in limbo.“We didn’t really have anything going on today,” Guerin said. “Tomorrow is a new day. … I didn’t mind not having a first-round pick this year because we have Quinn Hughes.”These Canes were built differentShayna Goldman and Max BultmanGuerin earned this award largely due to his league-shaking, blockbuster trade for Hughes at midseason, which helped transform his team and led to the Wild’s first playoff series win in a decade. But Guerin’s tenure as GM — and the club’s chance at being a true Cup contender — may ultimately be defined by whether he can pull off another one for a big fish like Larkin, who’d immediately step in and become Minnesota’s No. 1 center.The Wild are still very much in the Larkin sweepstakes, with Guerin, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman and Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, in constant communication. Larkin, who requested a trade earlier this offseason and has a full no-trade clause, was not moved on Friday’s busy first day of the draft, and it’s up in the air when — or if — Yzerman would move his disgruntled six-time 30-goal scorer.Yzerman isn’t just going to trade him to trade him, especially with five years left on Larkin’s contract and scores of teams in need of a top centerman. That puts the Wild in a tough spot because of all the picks and prospects they have traded over the past few years, especially in the Hughes trade.There’s no doubt Guerin would trade multiple first-round picks and prospects like Danila Yurov and Charlie Stramel for Larkin, who had Minnesota on his initial list of three teams he was willing to go to. But those young forwards aren’t considered blue-chip prospects and, as of now, they clearly haven’t moved the needle for the Red Wings.“Nothing is ever off the table,” Guerin said while talking generally. “There’s a lot of time.”Among the moves around the league Friday that had the arena in Buffalo buzzing, a few involved teams — the Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks, especially — that could be in the mix for Larkin.The Golden Knights shipped talented Russian winger Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers for a package that included one of New York’s first-round picks Friday, the 92nd pick Saturday and a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2028. That freed up cap space and gave Vegas more assets to go in for … somebody.What about Utah? The Mammoth sent winger JJ Peterka to the Boston Bruins for two first-rounders. That gave GM Bill Armstrong more ammo as well, whether that’s for Jason Robertson or Larkin.Another center target, Mason McTavish, was moved to the St. Louis Blues for two first-rounders, Nos. 15 and 29. The Wild didn’t have interest in McTavish, but if he netted two first-rounders, what would Larkin cost?Guerin said the trade market opening up is overall great for everyone.“Guys are taking pretty big swings, and it’s exciting to see,” Guerin said. “Everyone is trying to make their team better and win. With so much going on in the league, so much more money in the system now, teams can make quicker turnarounds. They’re not afraid to do things. They want to impact their teams now.“We’d love to get involved in that. We just want to make sure we’re doing what’s right for us.”It feels like, at this point, it’s going to take a third team to get involved for the Wild to get a Larkin deal done since they don’t have the trade assets/chips the Red Wings covet. If Detroit were to trade Larkin, it would likely be looking for centers back, which Yurov and Stramel are. But again, even the Wild don’t know how good they’re going to be.It’s also clear that the Wild will have to trade money in a Larkin deal or subsequent ones. Larkin’s cap hit is $8.7 million, and the Wild only have $12 million in cap space with nine forwards, five defensemen and two goalies signed.Pending restricted free agent Bobby Brink, alone, could cost in the $3.5 million range when re-signed. So something will have to give if the Wild can actually pull off the Larkin move.The big question is how long Guerin can afford to wait for Yzerman. The two are very tight.Marcus Johansson has already left the NHL to return to his native Sweden to finish his playing days. The Wild appear ready to cut the cord on Mats Zuccarello, and Vladimir Tarasenko is also expected to become a free agent.So when free agency strikes next week, Guerin can’t wait around forever for Yzerman to make a decision. He’ll have to start signing players to fill out the roster.As Guerin said Friday night, “tomorrow is another day,” so time will tell.In the meantime, Guerin was basking in the specialness of being honored by his compatriots in front of his owner, his staff and his family.