The Dylan Larkin trade rumors just took their biggest turn in months, and the Minnesota Wild should be paying close attention.
The Detroit Red Wings confirmed Friday that Larkin will report to training camp, but he will not return as team captain to begin the 2026-27 NHL season. Detroit also has not resolved the trade request that has followed Larkin throughout the offseason.
That combination is difficult to ignore.
Minnesota was previously reported as one of the teams Larkin would be willing to join by waiving his no-trade protection, alongside the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. Now Detroit is entering camp with Larkin still on the roster but without the captaincy he held since 2021.
A trade is certainly not guaranteed, and there is no indication a Minnesota deal is imminent. But from my perspective, Friday’s development makes the Minnesota Wild one of the most important teams to watch in the Dylan Larkin trade rumors.
The relationship between Larkin and the Red Wings suddenly feels less permanent than ever.
Why the Minnesota Wild Suddenly Matter in Dylan Larkin Trade Rumors
The most important thing to understand about the Larkin situation is that this isn’t simply fans matching an available star with teams that need a center.
There is a legitimate connection.
Reuters reported earlier this offseason that Larkin would be willing to waive his full no-trade clause for three teams: Minnesota, Florida and Vegas. That immediately gives the Wild something most potential trade partners don’t necessarily have, a realistic path to obtaining the player’s approval.
That’s significant because Larkin controls this process almost as much as Detroit does.
The Red Wings can determine what return they are willing to accept, but Larkin’s no-trade protection can dramatically shrink the marketplace. If Minnesota remains a destination he would approve, Wild management could eventually find itself in a strong negotiating position.
The latest development in Detroit only makes the situation more interesting.
Larkin will report to training camp and continue preparing for the season, but the Red Wings announced they will begin 2026-27 without naming a captain. Detroit indicated that further decisions surrounding the leadership structure will wait until new hockey-operations leadership is in place.
To me, that’s not a meaningless change.
Removing the captaincy doesn’t automatically mean Detroit intends to trade Larkin, but it does show that the relationship has entered a completely different phase.
This isn’t the same player-team dynamic we saw a year ago.
Detroit’s Captaincy Decision Changes the Tone of the Larkin Situation
Larkin has represented the Detroit Red Wings for his entire NHL career.
He’s from Michigan. Detroit drafted him 15th overall in 2014. He became captain in January 2021 and developed into the face of a franchise desperately trying to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That’s what makes this situation so unusual.
This isn’t a veteran rental approaching unrestricted free agency. Larkin is a longtime franchise player signed through the 2030-31 NHL season at an $8.7 million average annual value.
Yet the Red Wings have now missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, and Larkin’s request for a trade remains unresolved.
Detroit is also undergoing significant change at the management level, with Steve Yzerman moving from general manager to a senior-adviser position this summer.
The next hockey-operations leader will inherit one enormous question almost immediately:
What do you do with Dylan Larkin?
My feeling is that Detroit cannot allow this situation to drift indefinitely.
Either the new leadership group has to convince Larkin that he should remain an important part of Detroit’s next chapter, or the Red Wings need to explore the market seriously enough to determine whether moving him creates a better path forward.
The middle ground becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
Dylan Larkin Still Carries Legitimate First-Line Value
One reason Detroit doesn’t have to rush into a bad trade is Larkin’s production.
He recorded 34 goals and 33 assists for 67 points in 74 games during the 2025-26 season, setting a career high in goals.
Go back another year and Larkin recorded 30 goals and 70 points in 82 games. In 2023-24, he scored 33 goals and 69 points despite playing only 68 games.
That is three consecutive 30-goal seasons.
For a Minnesota Wild team considering a significant trade, that track record matters much more than simply looking at Larkin’s age or contract.
You’re acquiring a proven NHL center capable of playing heavy minutes, handling special teams, winning faceoffs and producing around a 30-goal pace.
The Wild wouldn’t be trading for the idea of what Larkin might become.
They would be acquiring what he already is.
And there is an argument that putting him in a different environment could actually help his production.
Larkin has carried enormous expectations in Detroit. He’s been the captain, hometown star, first-line center and public face of a franchise going through one of the longest playoff droughts in hockey.
Minnesota wouldn’t need him to rescue the organization.
They would need him to strengthen it.
That’s a very different assignment.
What Would a Minnesota Wild Trade for Dylan Larkin Cost?
This is where things get difficult.
Detroit shouldn’t trade Larkin simply because he asked to leave.
A 30-goal center signed long term has significant value, and the Red Wings would need either young NHL talent, premium futures or some combination of both to justify moving a player who still fills the most difficult position to replace.
At the same time, Detroit’s leverage isn’t unlimited.
Larkin’s no-trade clause means the Red Wings potentially can’t create a traditional bidding war involving 10 or 15 teams. If his acceptable destination list remains narrow, the teams on that list know Detroit has fewer options.
That’s why Minnesota could be fascinating.
The Wild may have to pay a substantial hockey price, but they shouldn’t necessarily have to pay the kind of inflated package Detroit could demand if every contender were eligible to bid.
I would also be hesitant if I were Minnesota to construct a deal around multiple premium young pieces.
Larkin is an excellent player, but he’s 30 and carries an $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31. Minnesota would be buying several prime seasons, but it would also assume the later years of that contract.
The right deal should reflect both realities.
Did the Red Wings Just Push Larkin Closer to Minnesota?
I wouldn’t go that far yet.
There is an important difference between saying the Minnesota Wild are a legitimate Dylan Larkin trade destination and saying the teams are actively closing in on a deal.
There is currently no confirmed report that a Wild-Red Wings trade is imminent.
But Friday’s development does move this storyline forward.
Larkin requested a trade. Minnesota was reportedly one of the destinations he would approve. Detroit has undergone a major front-office transition. Larkin is returning to training camp, but he’s no longer carrying the captaincy.
Those pieces matter.
The biggest mistake would be assuming Larkin reporting to camp means the trade request has disappeared.
It hasn’t.
Detroit and Larkin appear willing to handle the situation professionally while the Red Wings establish their next leadership structure. That could eventually produce reconciliation.
It could also produce the executive who finally decides to make the trade.
If that happens, Minnesota deserves to be near the top of the list of teams to watch.
The Wild would be acquiring a proven 30-goal center with term remaining on his contract. Detroit would gain an opportunity to reshape its roster around younger pieces and begin a new chapter under new hockey leadership.
And Larkin would finally get something he has rarely experienced during his NHL career: an opportunity to pursue sustained playoff success somewhere outside Detroit.
The next major development may ultimately come from Detroit’s front office rather than Larkin himself.
Until then, the Dylan Larkin trade rumors aren’t going anywhere, and neither is the Minnesota Wild connection.
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