Dylan Larkin isn't expanding his list, and the Red Wings now know exactly where that leaves them.
Michael Russo reported Monday that Larkin has held firm on his no-trade list of Minnesota, Florida and Vegas.
According to the report, the Wild are the only team of the three actually pushing to acquire him right now.
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Larkin closed the season with 34 goals and 33 assists for 67 points across 74 games, carrying an $8,700,000 cap hit into whatever comes next.
He was rolling right up to the finish, too. Larkin put up 9 points in his final 5 games, including 4 goals and 5 assists.
Detroit finished 41-31-10 for 92 points, 16th overall and sixth in the division, with a minus-17 goal differential.
The Red Wings closed the year on a brutal note. They went 2-6-2 over their last 10 games under Todd McLellan and lost their finale 1-8 at Florida.
Wild sit seventh as Larkin's future looms over Detroit
Minnesota finished 46-24-12 for 104 points, seventh overall with a plus-32 goal differential, the exact profile of a team that believes it can finish a job.
Detroit dropped both matchups against the Wild this season, losing 3-4 in overtime in January and 4-5 at home in April.
Bill Guerin and John Hynes are the ones who'll have to decide how far Minnesota is willing to go if this gets serious.
A captain refusing to touch his list isn't leverage for Detroit. It's a countdown clock.
Locking a trade request to three teams is like boxing yourself into one exit door in a burning building. It works fine until somebody else needs that door too.
Larkin is still producing at nearly a point a game for a team that just finished 16th overall. That tension doesn't resolve itself quietly.
What happens if Florida or Vegas suddenly decide they want in? Larkin's list says they can. Whether they will is a different story entirely.
Should the Red Wings trade Dylan Larkin to the Wild this offseason?
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