Wild Offer for Dylan Larkin Not Enough to Move the Needle

The idea of the Minnesota Wild trading for Dylan Larkin has gotten to a point where it’s like beating a dead horse.

However, an interesting comment has recently surfaced. In particular, the comment posits why the Wild have been unable to land Larkin from the Detroit Red Wings. And in short, the Wild’s offer for Larkin just wasn’t good enough to move the needle.

In a recent appearance on NHL Network, insider Elliotte Friedman dropped an insightful thought on the Larkin-Wild situation. The notable insider made it clear why the Wild’s offer was so underwhelming that it wasn’t going to be close enough to make anything happen.

“Whatever he (Wild GM Bill Guerin) offered, and I think it was (Danila) Yurov and a couple of picks and maybe another player wasn’t enough to get it done for Detroit, at least now.”

That final part there, “at least now” is certainly an intriguing comment to make. It allows for room to determine that the Red Wings may end up capitulating are some point, and taking what the Wild have offered.

That situation, however, doesn’t seem very likely at this point.

Danila Yurov Is Not a Dylan Larkin Replacement

One of the main talking points has been the Red Wings’ desire to land a younger Dylan Larkin replacement.

However, the Wild don’t really have anyone like that. The closest thing they could offer is someone like Danila Yurov. While Yurov is a very good young player, he doesn’t project to be a solid, two-way, top-six center. On a deep team, Yurov is a bottom-six guy.

In fact, on a deep contending club like the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, or Colorado Avalanche, Yurov might not even be a center.

At least, that’s the perception pundits and talking heads have conveyed throughout this conversation. And that certainly seems to be what the Red Wings are looking at here.

So, one has to think that the Wild will have to up the ante in order to really move the needle.

But there doesn’t really seem to be anything that the Wild can do. As Friedman noted, Guerin has made his best bet, and has pretty much laid his cards down until something else happens.

Larkin Landing with Wild Is Key to Keeping Quinn Hughes

The other point that Friedman made is that landing Dylan Larkin would be the key for the Wild to keep Quinn Hughes.

That’s a really tough proposition, particularly since Minnesota is clearly not moving the needle at this time.

Now, something has to give here. The Red Wings are playing with fire by dressing Larkin. The risk of an injury is high. And, Heaven forbid, Larkin sustains an season-ending injury, the entire plan would fall apart for everyone.

That’s why the Red Wings, Dylan Larkin and the Minnesota Wild would all love this situation to be resolved as soon as possible. The problem, it seeems, is that someone has to blink.

But that someone won’t be Bill Guerin, even if he wanted to. He just doesn’t have the wherewithal to pay the price the Red Wings are looking for.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

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