Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild have been in hot pursuit of Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin for months, dating back to Larkin’s initial trade request in early June. Guerin knows Larkin well from his time as GM of USA Hockey. He believes the 12-year veteran, who has recorded five straight 30-goal seasons, is exactly the kind of top-line center the Wild have been looking for in recent years.
But no trade has occurred. Larkin remains with Detroit, at least for the moment. The reason the Wild haven’t been able to get a deal done is that, after somewhat depleting their trade assets when acquiring Quinn Hughes last December, they don’t have the kind of pieces the Red Wings want (given that a win-now Minnesota team obviously isn’t trading any core players).
The Wild’s best realistic trade package for Larkin is something like center Danila Yurov, forward prospect Charlie Stramel, another prospect (like David Spacek), and a 2027 first-round pick. It’s unclear exactly what kind of offer Guerin has put on the table, but whatever it is, it hasn’t been enough for the Red Wings to be seriously interested.
Nine games into this NHL season, there’s a new element to the Wild’s Larkin pursuit that’s worth discussing. Yurov has been excellent to begin his second season. The 22-year-old Russian might be breaking out as a real part of Minnesota’s core. And if that’s the case, does the question for the Wild shift from “What can we do to make Detroit interested?” to “Are we sure trading Yurov and much more for Larkin is the right decision?”
In the Wild’s 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday, Yurov scored a goal for the third time in the past four games. He tied a career-high with four shots on goal. And he won six of nine faceoffs. For the season, Yurov is at four goals and five points in nine games, winning 56.6 percent of his 76 draws. He’s done that while playing in a middle-six role (averaging 13:30 time on ice) and on the second power-play unit.
It’s obviously very, very early, but four goals in nine games is a 37-goal pace in an 84-game season. Yurov has impressed with his ability to win loose pucks and has shown a knack for finding open space to create passing opportunities for teammates. All four of his goals this season have come on one-timers.
Danila Yurov, 1-0 PPG #LetsGoBuffalo#MnWildpic.twitter.com/djzjAFI9JZ
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) October 7, 2026
Danila Yurov from Yakov Trenin. What a goal pic.twitter.com/UfiIByTc07
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) October 18, 2026
There’s certainly a lot of projection involved when comparing Yurov (who has 16 career goals) to Larkin (who has 277). But Yurov is eight years younger than Larkin and making almost $8 million less. If the Wild believe they can continue to get this kind of goal-scoring production from the 2022 first-round pick, should they think about pulling their Detroit offer off the table?
The Wild are 6-2-1. The Red Wings are 3-3-2 and have gotten just one goal and three points from Larkin in six games. An argument can be made that Minnesota doesn’t need to change anything.
But there is a significant counterpoint that has to be mentioned, which is how Hughes fits into all this. Hughes, who did not sign an extension with the Wild before this season, is very close with Larkin, his former USA teammate and fellow Michigan native. If acquiring Larkin would get Hughes to sign an extension, it would almost certainly be worth it, even if it means parting with Yurov and three other assets.
For now, the Wild will hope this early breakout from Yurov continues. His current performance can only be a good thing, whether he’s in Minnesota for a long time or winds up convincing the Red Wings to pull the trigger on sending them Larkin.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Wild section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.