Minnesota has spent the entire offseason with one name circled at the top of its wish list. Dylan Larkin, the Detroit Red Wings superstar who requested a trade back in early June and reportedly placed the Wild among his preferred destinations, seemed like a realistic target for a team desperate to add a top center.

But a series of developments has left the Wild in an increasingly precarious position, with no clear fallback plan and their primary pursuit now clouded by uncertainty.

According to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, Minnesota was so focused on landing Larkin that the organization deliberately stepped away from trade discussions involving Vincent Trocheck. The logic was straightforward: Larkin wanted to come to Minnesota, and the Wild believed a deal could eventually come together.

Trocheck, meanwhile, was shipped to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Sean Durzi, prospect Cole Beaudoin and a 2027 third-round pick. Utah also signed Anders Lee, another forward the Wild had reportedly been eyeing.

That leaves Minnesota with virtually no alternative options at center, per the report. The Wild did not simply lose out on other targets. They chose to pass.

The situation grew even more complicated last Wednesday when Steve Yzerman stepped back from his role as Detroit's general manager, moving into a senior adviser position. According to Russo and Smith, the Wild had felt in recent weeks that a viable path to acquiring Larkin still existed, even though their trade package, reportedly built around future assets, had not satisfied Yzerman.

Now the entire process faces a reset. Detroit has every reason to pause, install new leadership, sit down with its captain and reassess before making one of the franchise's most significant decisions in years. A new front office could even attempt to mend the relationship with Larkin and convince him to stay.

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The stakes for Minnesota extend beyond just filling a hole in the lineup. The Wild still need to replace roughly 150 combined points lost through the departures of Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson and Vladimir Tarasenko. Offseason additions Blake Coleman and Russian winger Maxim Shabanov are expected to contribute in the top six, but a center of Larkin's caliber would transform the picture entirely.

The Wild also reportedly view a marquee acquisition as essential to their long-term pitch to defenseman Quinn Hughes, with whom extension talks remain ongoing.

One factor still working in Minnesota's favour, according to the report, is that Larkin’s desire to play for the Wild remains unchanged. Whether that matters under new Detroit leadership remains to be seen.

But as of right now, the Wild are stuck waiting on a deal that just became significantly harder to close, with every viable alternative already off the board.

Maxim Shabanov

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