Dylan Larkin requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings in June, lost the captaincy over it, and has spent the season being booed by his own crowd while the matter goes unresolved. Michael Russo of The Athletic says both halves of the obvious solution are already in place.
“Dylan Larkin wants to come to Minnesota,” Russo said on Worst Seats in the House. “As we know, the Wild want Larkin badly and still believe they have a chance to get him, and are still very much motivated to get him.”
That mutual interest has been the one constant in a saga that has otherwise gone nowhere. Of the clubs Larkin was willing to accept, Florida has shown no appetite and Vegas hasn’t positioned itself to do anything. Minnesota has been the only team consistently at the table.
Can the Wild afford Dylan Larkin?
Larkin carries an $8.7 million cap hit. Minnesota went into the season with barely more than a million in space, among the tightest figures in the league, and nothing has freed up since. Any deal would mean shipping significant money out before a single dollar comes back in, which is where this has stalled every time it has been raised.
Russo has also been clear about one name that isn’t available. Asked directly whether Matt Boldy could be included, his answer was a flat no.
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Minnesota’s cupboard is thinner than it was, too. The Wild sent Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick to Vancouver last December for Quinn Hughes, who still hasn’t signed an extension of his own.
Detroit’s side of it hasn’t moved either. The Red Wings have no permanent general manager, with Shawn Horcoff installed on an interim basis in September, and Simon Edvinsson has gone home to Sweden and requested a trade of his own.
Larkin, 30, has five seasons left on his contract and a full no-movement clause, which means nobody is going anywhere without his say-so.
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