The Minnesota Wild may have to keep waiting on Dylan Larkin, and the latest shakeup in Detroit only makes the whole situation murkier.
For months, Bill Guerin has been trying to figure out whether there was any real path to landing the Red Wings captain. Now, with Steve Yzerman no longer running the show in Detroit, the questions around Larkin’s future have only multiplied.
That might sound like a break for Minnesota. It may not be.
The big issue is the relationship between Larkin and Yzerman, which has been described as badly damaged for years. Reports have pointed to a rift going back at least five years, when Yzerman waited to name Larkin captain. That delay, according to the chatter around the league, left a mark.
Bruce Boudreau believes that tension may have played a role in Yzerman’s exit.
"I'm guessing, in my opinion, it had something to do with Dylan Larkin." 👀
Bruce Boudreau on Steve Yzerman stepping down as GM with the Red Wings. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/RUn8ounkA2
- OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) July 16, 2026
That’s why Yzerman’s removal has people wondering whether Larkin and the organization could find a way back toward the same page. If there was ever a chance to reset, this would be it. And if that happens, it’s bad news for the Wild, who have clearly been circling the 30-year-old centerman as a major offseason target.
Detroit, though, still doesn’t seem to have a clean read on where Larkin stands.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press wrote that a return under new leadership can’t be ruled out, especially with a trade partner proving hard to find. But on TSN’s “OverDrive,” she also made clear that backing out of a trade request would be a heavy lift.
"I don't think Larkin can walk this back." 👀 @HeleneStJames on Dylan Larkin's future with the Red Wings with Steve Yzerman stepping down as GM. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/9uMftlttGL
- OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) July 15, 2026
Feschuk: “When you look at the Larkin situation, Helene, and what you know about it, would this particular move - moving Yzerman out of the GM seat, given that Larkin has been publicly critical of at least one trade deadline situation in Detroit - do you think that would at all change Larkin’s stance his want to move?”
St. James: “Yeah, that’s a great question but, man, that would be a lot to walk back.
I mean, it’s been going on now for two months and the organization is upset with him for asking for a trade after they’ve paid down the chunk of the actual salary, $31 million over three years, for that contract. I don’t know.”
“I just don’t know, even if it’s a different GM - I mean, Steve Yzerman still works for the team. I just don’t know if Dylan Larkin can walk this back, but at the same time, it might be his best option.”
St. James also said the Red Wings would need a top-line center coming back in any deal involving Larkin.
Anything less, she suggested, would point Detroit toward more down years and another rebuild. After 10 years of the current rebuild, that’s not exactly the kind of message the fanbase is likely to embrace.
That’s part of why this has become such a tough puzzle to solve. Detroit no longer has a general manager in place, the relationship questions remain, and the trade market still doesn’t look simple.
Michael Russo and Anthony LaPanta discussed the situation on the latest episode of “Worst Seats in the House,” and Russo said he still thinks a move is more likely than not - but not anytime soon.
“I still think there’s a better chance of him moving than not, but this certainly slows things down, and is going to make this drag on further and further. Because I just cannot imagine that Dylan Larkin is getting traded without the next uh apparent to the GM in place”
He also said Minnesota’s offer isn’t going to change.
“What the Wild are going to be hoping is that the next [Red Wings] GM or president of hockey ops actually goes in there and says, ‘alright, I’ll take the futures,’ because the Wild, there’s just nothing more that they can offer. Their assets are their assets. They’re not going to miraculously have new prospects and they’re certainly not trading any core players off their roster.”
For now, the Wild are stuck waiting for Detroit to hire its next leader and for the Larkin situation to become clearer. Until then, this one looks like it could keep dragging well into training camp.
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