The Minnesota Wild's wishes came true. They were in search of a No. 1 center this offseason, which had a weak free agent market. Luckily for them, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings requested a trade, and the Wild were among his three teams he'd waive his full no-movement clause for. The Wild's main opponents were the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers.
While the Wild did give up a haul last December to get Quinn Hughes, they do still have some assets to give up in a trade with the Red Wings. However, it's a matter of whether or not general manager Steve Yzerman would accept a trade. Now, there is a new team that the Wild have to look out for, and that's a division rival.
During a recent episode of The Sheet Podcast, Daily Faceoff's Jeff Marek and ESPN's Greg Wyshynski heard that besides the three teams on Larkin's reported wishlist, they have heard the Utah Mammoth are in the mix.
"I had heard one different one and that was Utah," said Marek.
Central Division rival Mammoth emerge as potential landing spot for Dylan Larkin
That is not welcoming news for the Wild. The last thing they need to see is Larkin end up on a different team in their own division.
After the episode of The Sheet Podcast was released, The Athletic NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that Yzerman informed Larkin's agent, Pat Brisson, that he wants an expanded trade list. LeBrun mentions that another rival in the Dallas Stars have "absolutely checked in" with the Red Wings about acquiring Larkin.
Even though Larkin does hold the cards in a trade, Yzerman can still choose to hold onto him if he doesn't receive an offer he deems fair enough to trade away his top center and team captain. That is important to note, especially since Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Wild have already made an offer for Larkin, along with the Panthers. So, this is a case of either the Wild didn't make a strong enough offer, or Yzerman is gauging what he can get for Larkin in an expanded trade field.
For the Mammoth, they have much more to offer the Red Wings if they are a true contender for Larkin's services. First things first, they have the sixth-ranked prospect pool in the entire NHL according to The Athletic's Scott Wheeler, highlighted by Tij Iginla, Caleb Desnoyers, and Dimitri Simashev. Additionally, they have all of their first-round picks over the next four years along with their second round picks, besides this year. So, they could really make an enticing offer.
The Wild are surely going to be the most aggressive in landing Larkin, considering he is the best center available this offseason and the Wild have Team USA links with the star including Hughes, general manager Bill Guerin, forward Matt Boldy, and defenseman Brock Faber. But, an expanded field of candidates for Larkin could make things more difficult for the Wild.
