The Dylan Larkin trade talk never got off the ground, and now we know why.
For weeks, Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations Bill Guerin had reportedly been working the phones with Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman in an effort to land the Red Wings captain. But NHL free agency came and went without a deal, and the whole thing now looks dead on arrival.
Then came the eye-opener from NHL insider Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet: Detroit’s ask from Minnesota supposedly centered on Matt Boldy.
That’s a massive price tag for Larkin, and not a subtle one. Kypreos reported that the Red Wings wanted Boldy included in any package for Larkin, and that “Other than Boldy, there is nothing else Detroit GM Steve Yzerman is too interested in.”
Boldy is 25 and coming off the best season of his career. In 2025-26, he scored 42 goals and piled up 84 points while posting a 10.7 point share. He was the No. 12 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and he’s already looking like a player whose production could keep climbing.
Larkin, meanwhile, is about to turn 30 and has never reached those same heights. His best season came in 2022-23, when he put up 32 goals and 79 points. Last year, he scored 34 goals and added 33 assists, finishing with a career-best 8.0 point share.
That’s why the ask feels so steep. Boldy is younger, cheaper, and already producing at a level Larkin has never hit. He’s signed for $7 million per season through 2029-30, which only makes the idea of moving him for Larkin look even less realistic.
So the bigger question may not be whether Minnesota should have agreed to that deal. It’s whether Detroit ever truly expected to get Boldy at all - and if that was the price from the start, why Guerin waited this long to move on.
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Michael Russo of The Athletic reports the expectation is that each player returns on a one-year deal, giving the Wild another season of seasoned presence without a bigger summer commitment. For Foligno, it also sets up a chance to spend a full year in Minnesota alongside his younger brother Marcus, while Bogosian would remain part of the right-side defensive mix and available when injuries or lineup shuffles inevitably hit. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Could Be Setting Up The Move Wild Fans Dread
The Wilds search for a top-line center has already turned into one of those watch-and-wait situations that can define a summer, with Dylan Larkin still the name most closely tied to Minnesota. Detroit has not budged, and Steve Yzermans stance has kept the door firmly shut unless the offer is strong enough to change his mind, which leaves the Wild stuck trying to gauge whether their best-fit target is even realistically available.
What makes the situation more unnerving for Minnesota is the way other contenders can reshape the market before the Wild get their chance to strike. The Stars have been watching the defense market closely and have their own ambitions, which could affect how aggressive teams get as the board starts to move. For a Wild club looking to add a difference-maker down the middle, the longer this drags on, the more it feels like the rest of the league is setting the terms. [Read more 🡒]