At the NHL trade deadline, the Minnesota Wild were reportedly hot on the trail of New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck. The Wild had a clear need for a top-six center, and Trocheck fit the bill perfectly.
But the deadline came and went, and Trocheck remained in New York. At the time, fans and pundits slammed the Wild’s inactivity. The club was clearly going for it, but ended up passing on just the right type of player it needed to compete with the likes of the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche.
Well, a June 5 piece in The Athletic revealed why. In the article, Wild insider Michael Russo pointed out that GM Bill Guerin bit his tongue on a trade for Trocheck, opting to keep dry powder on hand, precisely because a player like Dylan Larkin could hit the market.
“If you’ve read and listened to us for a year, we’ve often discussed that if Larkin ever wanted out, the Wild would be ready to pounce. This is also why Guerin didn’t want to give up a haul for Vincent Trocheck at the trade deadline, just in case somebody like Larkin, Auston Matthews, Robert Thomas, Nico Hischier or even a winger like Brady Tkachuk could be had.”
Russo is right. The Wild didn’t want to use up all of their ammo and then find themselves woefully short if a player such as Dylan Larkin suddenly became available.
Wild in Prime Position to Land Larkin
An earlier piece here on Heavy looked at the three purported trade destinations for Dylan Larkin. Reportedly, the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers were on a list that Larkin’s representation submitted to GM Steve Yzerman.
Minnesota is hardly a surprise to anyone paying attention. Beyond the fact that Larkin has several deep connections and friendships, the Wild are uniquely positioned to send premium assets to the Red Wings.
In another piece, a mock trade involving the Red Wings and Wild looked at the pieces that could trade places in the event of a trade.
Some or all of those pieces would have gone to New York for Vincent Trocheck. And as much as the Wild would have liked to land Larkin, the organization just wouldn’t have had the pieces to make the deal happen.
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Does Larkin Make Minnesota a Stanley Cup Contender?
So, if Larkin ends up in Minnesota, does that make the Wild a Stanley Cup contender? Both the short and long answers to that question are not necessarily. Adding Larkin would give the Wild the top-line center the team has desperately needed for a while.
But Larkin’s addition does not take away from the fact that the club will remain top-heavy. Beyond Larkin, Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy, Minnesota will need a deeper bottom six to compete with uber-deep teams like the Stars and Avalanche.
Moreover, the Wild will still need to address their blue line. They’ll have Quinn Hughes for one more season (unless he extends) and Brock Faber. After that, the rest of the defense core is a little iffy.
There’s no question that Minnesota is a talented team. They should be in the hunt for the Central Division lead next season. But one has to wonder if they’ll have enough depth to get through the 84-game regular-season gauntlet next season, and presumably get past the Stars and Avalanche in the first two rounds next season.
Wild Trade Deadline Inactivity on Trocheck Explained by Insider