The Dylan Larkin situation is coming to a head, as the former Detroit Red Wings captain will no longer officially play for his hometown team. Amid public statements from his agent, Pat Brisson, and the team’s interim general manager, Shawn Horcoff, news emerged Thursday that the 30-year-old center would sit out until his trade request was fulfilled. Larkin’s request has been a complicated situation, as the player has a full no-movement clause and has been very specific with his preferred list of teams. Even with an expanded roster, Larkin has ruled out all Canadian clubs, leaving Horcoff in a difficult situation trying to recover fair value for the 2014 first-round pick. One club that has been consistently linked to Larkin is the Minnesota Wild, who are all-in on the middle with the Quinn Hughes situation looming. General manager Bill Guerin knows Larkin well thanks to international play with Team USA, and according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Thursday, the Wild have been the most active team in trying to acquire Larkin’s services. Speaking with Wild sources over the past few days, Daily Faceoff was told that the Red Wings are being “unrealistic” in what they are seeking in return for Larkin. There has long been speculation that the Wild have been offering center Danila Yurov as the centerpiece of a trade; Clearly that hasn’t moved the needle enough for the Red Wings. Larkin hasn’t been overly impressive this season, recording just two goals and six points in 10 games, something the Wild have noticed. Speaking with Wild sources, there appears to be no appetite for the Wild to increase their offer given Larkin’s lackluster play so far this year. Checking with an Eastern Conference executive to get a sense of how the league feels on the matter, DFO was told that the Wild “have to win now” and that they will have to lose a deal to acquire Larkin. In a win-now window, the executive went on to say that the Wild are “out of options” and that any team that negotiates with them should “win the deal by a mile.” The same executive noted that Guerin may need to consider trading goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in a deal, as the 2021 first-round pick is viewed by some around the league as possibly the best trade chip Minnesota has. But a Western Conference executive pointed out to DFO that the Red Wings don’t need a goaltender given their pipeline, with Trey Augustine waiting in the wings. When asked if Wallstedt was potentially on the table, Wild sources emphatically told DFO that moving the goaltender in a deal for Larkin was in no way an option. Ultimately, the Wallstedt debate is a moot point. Yurov and center prospect Charlie Stramel (whose name has also come to light) may not move the needle for the Red Wings (an assistant GM told DFO those two aren’t going to nab Wild Larkin), but perhaps a third team could be involved that would view it differently. He had speculated earlier in the week about a potential three-team deal involving the Vancouver Canucks that would have sent center Elias Pettersson to the Red Wings; According to league sources, he is not a highly valued player by Detroit. That brings us to the Philadelphia Flyers, who have been connected to both the Wild and Larkin, respectively, in recent weeks. Speaking with team sources, DFO was told the Flyers would be willing to act as a third-party intermediary to help facilitate a trade between the Wild and Red Wings. Salary will be an issue for the Wild if they were to acquire Larkin, and winger Yakov Trenin’s name has been around since last spring as a potential cap hit. Trenin, 29, has this year and next year left on his contract, which carries an AAV of $3.5 million and includes a 10-team no-trade clause. According to Flyers sources, they would be willing to absorb Trenin’s contract for the right price. Stramel is a player the Flyers have some level of interest in and would potentially be the cost of doing business to take on the remaining term of Trenin’s contract. The Red Wings have cap room to eat Trenin’s salary if they wanted to, as one Central Division executive pointed out to DFO, but the Flyers are willing to participate in a deal if necessary. With at least one team willing to help get a deal across the finish line, it’s now up to the Wild and Red Wings to close the gap on what is seemingly a huge disconnect in Larkin’s value. Could an outside team like the Flyers contribute to a return to Detroit? It’s certainly possible, but that would surely cost Minnesota an extra asset if they follow the Flyers’ path to fix their problems. And speaking with Wild sources, they feel the aforementioned players are already a high price to pay for Larkin. There are a handful of other teams that could certainly overtake the Wild in the race for Larkin, and that may become a reality if common ground can’t be found between Guerin and Horcoff sooner rather than later. _____ PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF GEAR Daily Faceoff has new products. Represent the game you love with premium Nation Gear x Levelwear t-shirts, hoodies, hats and capes, designed for hockey fans on game day and every day. The home of hockey fans. BUY THE DAILY ENCOUNTER → nationgear.ca Recently by Anthony Di Marco
