Red Wings Trade Pitch Replaces Dylan Larkin With $14 Million Minnesota Center

The Dylan Larkin drama reached a crescendo on Thursday when the 12-year veteran informed the Detroit Red Wings that he would no longer show up to play for them as long as his trade request went unmet, and the team responded by suspending Larkin without pay.

But a new trade pitch published Friday would solve the Larkin problem, and replace him with an eight-year veteran center from the Minnesota Wild in a deal that would also send Detroit a pair of first-round draft picks and a 22-year-old winger who was, himself, a Wild first-round pick.

Larkin would land with Minnesota under the trade pitch that would cost the Wild Danila Yurov, Yakov Trenin and two first-round picks.

With Larkin suspended without pay for refusing to play, Detroit must decide whether a package built on youth and draft capital is enough for its top center.

The idea comes from a trade proposal posted to PuckGM . The swap adds a net $4.228 million to Minnesota's cap and removes the same amount from Detroit's.

Larkin, 30, was born July 30, 1996, in Waterford, Michigan. Detroit drafted him 15th overall in 2014 after a freshman season at the University of Michigan. He owns 278 goals and 649 points in 818 games, including five consecutive 30-goal seasons. His eight-year, $69.6 million deal ending 2030-31 pays $8.7 million annually and includes a full no-trade clause through 2027-28. He is forfeiting roughly $41,237 per day in salary during the suspension.

Yurov, 22, was born Dec. 22, 2003, in Chelyabinsk, Russia, and Minnesota drafted him 24th overall in 2022. He won a Gagarin Cup with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2024 before signing an entry-level contract in May 2025. He recorded 12 goals and 27 points in 73 games as a rookie and has four goals in 15 games this season . His entry-level deal runs through the 2027-28 season , after which he becomes a restricted free agent.

Trenin, 29, was born Jan. 13, 1997, in Chelyabinsk, and Nashville drafted him 55th overall in 2015. He has 61 goals and 122 points in 472 games with Nashville, Colorado and Minnesota , mostly as a physical penalty killer. His four-year, $14 million contract signed in 2024 pays $3.5 million annually through 2027-28. Minnesota has shopped him for cap flexibility , according to Pro Hockey Rumors .

Minnesota has long coveted Larkin as a missing piece , according to The Athletic , and the Wild have sent multiple offers to Detroit , The Hockey News reported. One earlier concept featured a package of three first-round picks , according to NHL Insight . Detroit has not accepted any of them.

Larkin's list of approved trade destinations answers the question of whether the three-time All-Star would accept the deal. Minnesota remains on Larkin's expanded 10-team list , joining Vegas, Florida and seven other clubs. The Wild, Panthers and Golden Knights made Larkin's original three-team preferred list , according to the Star Tribune .

Financially, the deal raises Minnesota's payroll by $4.228 million against a $104 million ceiling, even after Trenin's $3.5 million leaves. Competitively, Larkin gives the Wild a No. 1 center beside Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Quinn Hughes.

Red Wings Dylan Larkin Trade Return and Rebuild

Detroit receives a cost-controlled center in Yurov, a physical depth forward in Trenin and two first-round selections. The Red Wings also end the distracting Larkin standoff.

Minnesota gets the larger immediate gain in a top-line center signed through 2030-31 for picks and one prospect.

Detroit gets cap flexibility, youth and draft capital, a return that supports a retool more than a full teardown. The trade resolves the Larkin conundrum for both clubs, while the Red Wings still have to weigh whether it is the best return available from a limited list of suitors.