The Minnesota Wild have jumped to the forefront of just about every pundit’s list of top Dylan Larkin trade destinations.
There’s good reason for that assessment. The Wild have been actively pursuing a top-six center who could play with their high-end talent like Kirill Kaprizov.
GM Bill Guerin tried various options at the NHL trade deadline, but just couldn’t get the piece he wanted, for the price he could stomach. That included players like Robert Thomas and Vincent Trocheck.
But with Larkin’s availability, that situation could drastically change. And it could catapult the Wild into a prime position to land the center they’ve coveted. Since Minnesota has the pieces to pull off such a trade, here’s what it could look like:
Wild get:
Dylan Larkin, F
Sebastian Cossa, G
Red Wings get:
Danila Yurov, F
Charlie Stramel, F
Filip Gustavsson, G
2027 first-round pick
The pieces heading to Detroit shouldn’t be surprising. Plenty of teams have had their eye on Yurov, the Wild’s first-round pick from 2022, and Stramel, Minnesota’s first-rounder from 2023. Stramel, in particular, is the Wild’s top prospect. Just about every team discussing deals with Guerin has asked for Stramel.
Considering what’s at stake, Guerin might not balk at shipping Stramel at this point. The 21-year-old had a great season at Michigan State, scoring 19 goals and 44 points in 37 games this season.
Wild and Red Wings Could Swap Goalies
There has been talk about the Red Wings moving on from top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa. With John Gibson under contract for one more season, and other prospects pushing for playing time, Cossa is seen as an asset.
Meanwhile, the Wild will need to clear cap space to add Larkin, while also re-signing a couple of their impending UFAs. That’s why moving Gustavsson makes sense. While Minnesota could move Jesper Wallstedt, the idea would be to clear Gustavsson’s $6.8 million cap hit.
The only catch is that Gustavsson has a full no-movement clause. But seeing as he would be the starter in Detroit, even with Gibson around, Gustavsson might be willing to agree to the trade.
Still, the Wild could send Wallstedt, who doesn’t have a no-trade clause and a $2.2 million cap hit, in hopes of clearing just enough cap space to make the math work.
It’s worth pointing out that the Wild have over $12 million in projected cap space. As such, a cap dump wouldn’t be necessary. But that situation would limit what the club could do to re-sign UFAs and add pieces to round out the roster.
What to read next:
Is Larkin to Minnesota Realistic?
Unless another Stanley Cup contender like the Vegas Golden Knights or Colorado Avalanche could somehow find the pieces and the cap space to fit Dylan Larkin, the Wild remain the most plausible destination for the 29-year-old.
However, the deal may not be so realistic. The Wild will invariably run into cap trouble by adding Larkin. That situation could mean shedding some payroll to make things work. While it’s feasible, who knows if Minnesota is a destination where Larkin would want to go?
That’s the major “if” in this equation. Larkin would have to waive his no-trade clause to agree to a trade to Minnesota. It’s not unreasonable to suppose Larkin would agree. But then again, there might be a compelling reason why Larkin chooses to pass on Minnesota.
The next few days should shed some more light on this matter.
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