Dylan Larkin trade update: a third team emerges in Wild-Red Wings talks

The Red Wings are in no hurry to move Dylan Larkin, even with the suspended center's standoff dragging on into another weekend.

Detroit plays at Colorado tonight, sitting 20th in the NHL at 7-7-3 after Thursday's 2-1 loss to Vegas. Larkin won't be part of it.

This started in the offseason, when he asked for a trade after Detroit missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year. On September 11, the club announced he was no longer captain, and the season began with nobody wearing the C.

Things hardened on October 30. Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff announced that Larkin had been suspended without pay after telling the organization he no longer wanted to play there. We covered the night Larkin first sat out against Chicago, and the story has only gotten messier since.

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Horcoff said Detroit has talked with teams on Larkin's list, reached out to others and fielded calls from around the league. Two conditions apply. Larkin has to approve the destination, and the return has to serve the franchise's long-term interests.

Larkin scored a career-high 34 goals last season and carries an $8.7 million cap hit with five seasons left. His full no-trade protection hands him the final say on where he lands.

Why Minnesota may need a third team

Talk around the league has Minnesota already putting an offer in front of Detroit. A third club could be needed to make the math work, with Carolina and Vancouver floated as possible partners.

None of it is confirmed by the teams. Treat it as speculation.

Still, the fits are easy to picture. The Wild are second in the NHL at 12-3-3 and are a contender with a real reason to want a top-line center. Vancouver is last in the league at 3-14-1 and has dealt with Minnesota before.

My view: the Wild should not bid against themselves. If they believe the offer is serious, let Detroit come to them.

Detroit has the leverage here, and the Red Wings seem to know it. Pierre LeBrun reported that the club is pushing Larkin and his agents to open his list again, which tells you where the pressure is being applied.

Waiting also makes sense on the calendar. As the deadline gets closer, interested teams may start sweetening their offers rather than let a rival take the 30-year-old.

Larkin leaving looks more likely by the week. What Detroit gets back, and whether he signs off on it, is still undecided.

Quick hits

ANAHEIM DUCKS: Cutter Gauthier scored the go-ahead goal as the Ducks rallied to beat the Flames 5-3 in Calgary tonight. That's a road comeback worth noting.

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SAN JOSE SHARKS: Macklin Celebrini tied it for the Sharks in Minnesota, but they fell 4-1 for a fourth straight loss. One star can only do so much.

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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Zachary Werenski scored again, but the Blue Jackets lost 5-2 at Buffalo in a road game that got away from them.

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INJURY: Michael Russo reported that Wild forward Michael McCarron went down the tunnel late in tonight's 4-1 win over the Sharks. There's no update yet.

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UTAH MAMMOTH: NHL Rosters reported that the Mammoth have placed Kailer Yamamoto on injured reserve.

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Also read on Markerzone.com:
The Dylan Larkin saga just got stranger after a new report from outside the arena