The Dylan Larkin saga hit a new level on Thursday when the Detroit Red Wings suspended him without pay after he decided he would no longer play for the team.

Larkin, a 30-year-old who grew up in Waterford Michigan and played college hockey at the University of Michigan, was selected 15th overall by his hometown team in 2014.

It’s no secret the MN Wild have been chasing Dylan Larkin since May, when they appeared on his three-team trade list. Without him and bunch of key pieces in their starting lineup, the team has started the season 9-3-3 with 21 points.

That’s good enough, not just for first place in the Central Division, but first in the Western Conference as well. The Red Wings, on the other hand, are 6-4-3 (15 points) to start the season.

Trade talks for Dylan Larkin at a stalemate

On Friday, fresh off Thursday’s crazy day of Larkin news, we got more information on what is reportedly holding back talks between the Wild and Red Wings.

According to Anthony Di Marco (Daily Faceoff), the Minnesota believes Detroit is being “unrealistic” with their ask for Larkin. To this point, offers center around Danila Yurov, which “hasn’t moved the needle” for the Red Wings. Oddly enough, there is no mention of draft pick compensation throughout the entire article…

Speaking with Wild sources over the last number of days, Daily Faceoff was told that the Red Wings are being “unrealistic” in what they are looking for in return for Larkin. It has long been speculated that the Wild have been dangling center Danila Yurov as the centerpiece of a trade; clearly that hasn’t moved the needle enough for the Red Wings.

Danila Yurov has long been tied to Larkin talks as a possible centerpiece. One assistant GM told Di Marco that Yurov and prospect Charlie Stramel aren’t going to land Larkin on their own.

Yurov, 22, has four goals and five points in 15 games this season after putting up 12 goals and 27 points in 73 games as a rookie last season. He is on a $972,500 cap hit through next season.

Stramel, a St. Paul native and the 21st overall pick in 2023, has three points (1G, 2A) in 10 games with Iowa this season. That follows a 19-goal, 44-point senior season in 37 games at Michigan State. In June, he was nearing 100 percent from an injury.

Of course, Larkin has final control over where he goes. If that is Minnesota, as previously reported, it’s possible a third team will be necessary. That’s not a new idea, but it sounds like there’s one specific team that’s made its willingness to help facilitate a Larkin deal well-known.

Flyers could help MN Wild with Yakov Trenin’s contract

Di Marco reported the Philadelphia Flyers would be willing to take on Yakov Trenin’s contract for the right price, and that Stramel is a player Flyers have interest in. Trenin, 29, has a $3.5 million cap hit this season and next. He has two assists in 15 games this season.

I had speculated earlier in the week about a potential three-team deal involving the Vancouver Canucks that would’ve sent center Elias Pettersson to the Red Wings; according to league sources, he is not a player valued highly by Detroit.

That brings us to the Philadelphia Flyers, who have been connected to both the Wild and Larkin, respectively, in past weeks. Speaking with team sources, DFO was told that the Flyers would be willing to act as a third-party broker to help facilitate a trade between the Wild and Red Wings. 

Larkin has two goals and four assists in 10 games this season. That is well off his usual pace. Last season, the former Red Wings captain put up a total of 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games, and he has scored at least 30 goals in each of the last five full seasons he played (31, 32, 33, 30 and 34).

Over his career, Larkin has 278 goals and 649 points in 818 games, and he has won 52.8 percent of his faceoffs. Even in a slow start, his underlying numbers are strong. He has a 56.0 xGF% and 58.0 CF% at 5-on-5 this season, both well above what he posted last season (47.0 and 50.0).

The Daily Faceoff’s write-up points to yesterday’s report from Pierre LeBrun (TSN), where he reported that no team has been hotter on Larkin than the Wild. However, Di Marco also notes that GM Bill Guerin is not interested in raising the Wild’s offer, especially given Larkin’s slow start to the season.

Could Wallstedt be an option?

An Eastern Conference executive told Daily Faceoff that Guerin may need to consider moving goaltender Jesper Wallstedt. Wild sources pushed back hard on that, telling Di Marco that Wallstedt is in no way an option in a Larkin deal.

Wallstedt, the 20th overall pick in 2021, is 8-2-3 with a .916 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average in 13 games, while Filip Gustavsson sits on long-term injured reserve with a hip injury.

The money is a hurdle in its own right. Larkin carries an $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31 on the eight-year, $69.6 million deal he signed in March 2023. The Wild have about $1.67 million in current cap space, so salary would have to go back the other way to fit him. Moving Trenin alone would clear $3.5 million of that gap.

The Flyers have room to think about extra assets. They are 3-8-4, last in the Metropolitan Division. Di Marco also reported that other teams could leapfrog Minnesota if Guerin and Detroit interim GM Shawn Horcoff can’t find common ground soon.