Dylan Larkin’s trade request remains one of the biggest unresolved items hanging over the Detroit Red Wings, but the clock on a deal is still tied to a bigger issue in Detroit: the front office has to be settled first.
That’s the backdrop as Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin pointed to the Minnesota Wild as the current “frontrunner” in any potential move. Even so, the timing is murky, and he doesn’t see a deal coming together before training camp.
“Still, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see it happening before training camp,” Matt Larkin writes. “For one, Detroit, uh, needs a GM in place to make the trade.
Secondly: Larkin’s three-team list, which expanded to four with the Stars, consists of four teams who are seriously lacking in cap space at the moment, meaning they’d have to move some important players out to make a deal work. The Wild still seem like the frontrunner.”
Larkin’s reported four-team list includes Minnesota, the Dallas Stars, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers.
Because he holds a no-trade clause, Larkin has already told Detroit which destinations he would approve. That naturally narrows the Red Wings’ options and makes any negotiation more complicated.
There is still the possibility that Larkin expands the list, which would open more paths to a trade. But with the Stars being the only addition since the earlier version of his list, it’s unclear whether more teams will be added.
For now, the situation sits in limbo. A Larkin trade would be major news whenever it happens, but the exact timing remains unknown.