The NHL off-season has already been crazy, with some shocking trades already happening over the last week, with many more expected heading into what should be an incredible, competitive 2026/27 regular season following the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup victory.
In the three days leading up to the NHL Draft, Jordan Kyrou, Simon Nemec, Brady Tkachuk, William Eklund and several others have been dealt, and right now, there’s still many teams out there looking to make a splash. One of those teams are the Detroit Red Wings, who were handed an official trade request from captain Dylan Larkin in the past few weeks, and while a deal isn’t imminent, we have been getting more and more clarity on the situation.
Minnesota Wild Named Favorites to Land Dylan Larkin
GettyDylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings.
To the shock of no one, a member of the Team USA Gold Medal winning squad named the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights as two teams he would accept a trade too, but given that he provided just three teams, Steve Yzerman wanted an expanded list. That reportedly came through recently, with the Minnesota Wild being revealed as a team that Larkin would accept a trade too, with Team USA GM Bill Guerin as well as superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes with the organization.
On Friday ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, we got more news on the potential connection between Larkin and Minnesota, as reporter Andy Strickland has revealed the Wild are now considered the favorites to land the Red Wings captain.
Since the Larkin trade request came in, the favorites and the teams interested list has continued to change, so while sources around the NHL may say Minnesota right now, things could change between the NHL Draft and training camp.
Can the Minnesota Wild Pull off a Larkin Trade?
Whenever the Wild have been brought up as potential trade candidates for Larkin, the lack of assets gets brought up, but with the team reportedly willing to move one of their two star goaltenders in Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt, things start to make much more sense.
It’s unclear if either of those players move the needle enough for Yzerman and the Red Wings, as there would definitely need to be significant assets to be added onto that if they were to land Detroit’s long-term captain. On paper though, the fit in Minnesota for Larkin is perfect, as he would immediately become the 1C on a Stanley Cup contending team, and with Kirill Kaprizov as the teams top winger, that immediately becomes one of the best lines in the National Hockey League.
As to when this could get done, the Red Wings don’t appear to be in a hurry to move Larkin, and given that they’re likely seeking NHL ready players plus draft capital in return, there’s no deadline for them to get it done before the 2026 NHL Draft, so while the Wild are considered favorites, that doesn’t mean anything is imminent on the trade front.
Western Conference Team Named Favorites to Land Red Wings Star Dylan Larkin