Dylan Larkin is still John Hynes' clearest answer after Minnesota's reach at Jack Hughes went nowhere.
That is the real takeaway from Michael Russo's update. The Wild checked on Jack Hughes, but Dylan Larkin is the one they know is actually available this offseason.
There is nothing wrong with the Hughes call. Any team would ask on a 25-year-old center who just put up 77 points in 61 games for New Jersey.
But that call also tells you where Bill Guerin's head is. Minnesota is hunting a true top-end center, not another middle-line patch.
That brings the Wild right back to Larkin. He had 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games last season, and Steve Yzerman has already confirmed the trade request is real.
Minnesota's need is easy to spot. The Wild had huge wing production from Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, who combined for 87 goals, but the search for one more impact center has not gone away.
This is why the Larkin fit keeps getting louder. He is not fantasy shopping like Hughes. He is the premium center who can actually be discussed.
" Michael Russo: Re Wild: They have...called on New Jersey's Jack Hughes - Quinn's younger brother - although Dylan Larkin is the one they know remains available this offseason - The Athletic (7/2) "
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A huge Hughes brothers update may have just changed everything for Minnesota
It also says something about price. If the Wild were bold enough to ask on Jack Hughes, they are not going to blink at a major hockey trade for Larkin if they believe he completes the top of the lineup.
That does not make this easy. Yzerman has made it plain he is not moving his captain for futures and hopes. Detroit would want a return that hits the roster right back.
That is where Minnesota gets squeezed. Matt Boldy had 85 points in 76 games, and any serious Larkin deal probably starts with a name that painful.
From the Wild side, the logic still holds. Hynes already has elite wing talent, and Larkin is the kind of center who could change the feel of the whole forward group in one move.
From Detroit's side, there is still leverage. Larkin has 5 years left on his contract, so Yzerman can hold the line and wait for a team to meet it.
That is why Russo's note matters. Minnesota may have dreamed bigger with Jack Hughes, but Dylan Larkin is the name that keeps the Wild in the real trade market, and the one that could still define their summer.
Should the Wild pay a Matt Boldy-level price to land Dylan Larkin?
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