The Wild’s search for a No. 1 center has become one of those familiar offseason dreams: big name, big fit, big problem. Dylan Larkin checks a lot of boxes.
He’s a 30-goal machine, he asked for a trade from the Red Wings, he’ll turn 30 at the end of the month, and his long-term contract looks manageable. On paper, he feels like the kind of player who could change the conversation.
That’s why the idea has taken hold with Wild fans. If the team could swing a deal this offseason - or even before the 2026-27 trade deadline - Larkin would make all kinds of sense as the missing piece.
But there’s a catch, and it’s a big one. The Wild are short on salary cap space and trade resources, which makes any pursuit like this a tough climb. And that raises the uncomfortable question at the center of all this speculation: what if the answer they’ve been chasing is already in the building?
For years, the Wild have been looking for a true No. 1 center, pretty much since the franchise came into existence. They’ve had good ones come and go, including Marco Rossi, who was traded away in the deal that brought back Quinn Hughes.
But the great ones are another matter entirely. Those are rare, hard to develop, and even harder to acquire.
So the Larkin idea makes sense. It’s the kind of swing that would excite a fan base hungry for a solution. It also comes with the reality that the Wild may not have the means to get it done.
In Other News...
Wild Fans Finally Got A TV Update They Desperately Needed
Wild fans who spent the spring wondering where next seasons games would land finally got a clearer picture, and it is a meaningful one for a market that has been waiting for a stable TV home. The Wild and the NHL plan to put roughly 70 games on a dedicated team channel carried inside cable and satellite packages, with some matchups also set to air over the air locally.
There is still one important piece left hanging: the paid streaming setup. The team says that option will be available, but the details on where it will live and what it will cost are still to come before the season starts, while the rest of the schedule will be split among national partners such as ESPN and TNT. For a fan base that has already had to navigate a changing regional sports landscape, the promise of familiar coverage is welcome, even if the full viewing map is not quite finished yet. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Fans Have Every Reason To Worry About This Broadcast Change
The NHLs latest broadcast move is the kind of development that has to catch the attention of any fan base that cares about how it watches its team, and Wild followers have plenty of reason to pay close attention. Columbus is one of four clubs set to join a centralized production service for regional game broadcasts beginning in the 2026-27 season, with the league and its production group promising strategic help with distribution and monetization as they try to reshape how those games reach viewers.
For Minnesota fans, the bigger issue is what this kind of change can mean beyond the technical side of production. The Blue Jackets have already signed on and sounded eager to lean on the NHLs resources to improve coverage, but the details of how the games will actually be delivered are still to come, and theres no clarity yet on what familiar voices, if any, will remain part of the presentation. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Stars Feud Is Starting To Feel Bigger Than Ever
The Wild and Stars have spent years turning a regional grudge into one of the NHLs more watchable feuds, and the history still hangs over every meeting. From the old North Stars move to Dallas to a string of playoff clashes, the matchup has never needed much extra fuel, but the current version feels more durable because both teams have real staying power and the kind of young core that can keep this thing hot for a while.
Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber give Minnesota a foundation it can build around, while Dallas has its own wave of talent led by Wyatt Johnson, Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz. Add in the Central Division race and a playoff structure that keeps putting these clubs on a collision course, and theres a sense this rivalry may not be peaking yet. The only question now is how often the bracket lets them settle it on the ice. [Read more 🡒]