After 11 seasons in Hockeytown, Dylan Larkin has officially requested a trade. One playoff appearance in over a decade appears to be the biggest factor for the 29-year-old, even if his late-season collapses contributed to the lack of playoff berths.
His rumored trade list features only three teams, something that will certainly make negotiations difficult for Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings. The three teams Larkin is willing to waive his no-move clause for are the Vegas Golden Knights, the Florida Panthers, and the Minnesota Wild, but which team would benefit most from the addition of Larkin?
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Minnesota Wild: A-
The Wild have been in desperate need for a No. 1 center for years, with Joel Eriksson Ek currently filling the role. Eriksson Ek is closer to a second-line center, whose defense outweighs the offensive production.
Minnesota has been linked to Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, but the center has since been taken off the trade market, leaving Larkin as the Wild’s best option.
Larkin isn’t quite in the upper-echelon of centers, especially given his play when it matters most, but he would be a much-needed upgrade for the team.
My biggest concern would be Minnesota’s cap. Quinn Hughes is due for a big paygrade next season, and adding Larkin’s $8.7 million contract would make any future upgrades at center nearly impossible.
Florida Panthers: D+
The reigning Stanley Cup Champions (for now) were riddled with injuries this season — three straight Stanley Cup Final runs will do that. They are far from a perfect team, but the current center core is as good as it gets.
A healthy Aleksander Barkov is a top-five center in the leauge, while Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell are arguably the best two-three punch down the middle. Aqcuiring Larkin simply doesn’t move the needle for Florida, even if his offensive ceiling is higher than Lundell or Bennett’s.
Larkin is making $700,000 more than Bennett and $3.7 million more than Lundell, so the move wouldn’t help an already tight cap situation for Florida either.
A move for a goaltender should be the main priority for Bill Zito and company this summer, and a move for Larkin could dissrupt one of the more cohesive groups in professional sports.
Vegas Golden Knights: C
The Vegas Golden Knights are in play for seemingly every star that becomes available via trade, and Larkin is no different. It’s not a surprise Larkin would want to go to the most consistently successful team in the leauge, but his fit for Vegas isn’t as seamless as Jack Eichel or Mark Stone.
Compared to the previous two teams, Vegas has the least amount of assets to offer in a possible trade, but the fit makes more sense than Florida’s.
Insiders have begun speculating that Tomáš Hertl could be a cap-casualty this summer after a rough end to his regular season, and a potential swap to Detroit would make sense. Hertl would give Yzerman a legitamate top-6 center to bridge the gap before finding a long-term option, something other teams likely couldn’t offer.
Larkin makes around two million more than Hertl, but if Vegas views Larkin as a better second-line option then the price-tag shouldn’t be an issue.
A few more moves would be neccasary to make the cap work, and the depth as a whole may take a hit if Vegas goes for another big splash, so a Larkin trade may not be worthwhile for the already dominant Golden Knights.
