Steve Yzerman’s departure as Red Wings GM adds wrinkle to Wild’s pursuit of Dylan Larkin

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Dylan Larkin has been a top target for the Minnesota Wild this summer since the Detroit Red Wings captain made his trade request — and put Minnesota on his short list of preferred landing spots.

But the shocking news out of Detroit on Wednesday that GM Steve Yzerman is stepping back into a senior adviser role — and the team is hiring a new head of hockey operations — adds undoubtedly the biggest wrinkle yet to the Wild’s pursuit of Dylan Larkin.

The Wild still felt over the past few weeks that there was a path to get Larkin even though their trade offer, one that almost assuredly centered around futures, clearly didn’t entice Yzerman. So at a minimum, what Wednesday’s news means is that there will be a further delay as Detroit looks for a new head of hockey operations.

The biggest issue for the Wild isn’t that the news kills a Larkin trade. It’s that it removes whatever momentum there was toward one. Detroit suddenly has every reason to pause, let a new executive settle in, meet with Larkin and reassess before making arguably the biggest decision the franchise has made in years.

What is harder to tell — at least right away — is whether this new development will help or hurt the Wild’s chances of landing their ever-elusive No. 1 center. Remember, the Wild have been holding out hopes for Larkin — period. They essentially backed out of even attempting to trade for Vincent Trocheck this offseason because they were well aware Larkin wants to come to Minnesota.

There are a few key variables at play here.

What would be the direction of the Red Wings under a new GM — is it still a win-now mode to end the 10-year rebuild, or a change of plans into more of a retool — where futures and prospects might be more enticing?

Can the new Red Wings brass patch up the relationship with Larkin to the point where the face of the franchise wants to stay? Or has that bridge already been burned, especially considering it may be hard for fans to forgive and forget, with Larkin, too, still seeking new scenery?

For the moment, it won’t change much for the Wild, as the pursuit of Larkin already seemed at a bit of a standstill — Minnesota had made it clear how it felt, what the Wild were willing to offer, and Yzerman made clear what he was willing to accept.

The No. 1 center search was supposed to be the centerpiece of what’s turned into a pretty concerning offseason for the Wild. Their big adds up front were Blake Coleman and Russian winger Maxim Shabanov, who they’re betting on as top-six options. They had to replace 150 combined points between the departures of Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Wild basically swapped Jake Middleton for Olli Maatta on their third pair.

All that would be well and good if Minnesota still landed a top-flight center such as Larkin, the type of star the Wild believe would strengthen their long-term pitch to Quinn Hughes. For now, those extension talks continue.

The Wild still believe they have one major thing working in their favor: Larkin’s desire to come to Minnesota hasn’t changed. That doesn’t mean Detroit has to trade him anytime soon. In fact, Wednesday’s news probably gives the organization every reason to see if a new front office can convince its captain to stay.

But the problem for now, from Minnesota’s perspective at least, is there are no real Plan B options out there up the middle. The Wild passed on the price for Trocheck, who was acquired by the Central Division rival Mammoth for defenseman Sean Durzi, prospect Cole Beaudoin and a third-round pick in 2027. Utah also snagged Minnesota’s top free-agent target, Edina legend Anders Lee.

That’s why Wednesday’s news is so significant from the Wild’s perspective. They didn’t merely miss on centers this summer. They intentionally waited. They passed on opportunities because they believed there was still a realistic path to acquiring the player they wanted most. Whether that gamble ultimately pays off remains to be seen. But Yzerman’s resignation almost certainly means the Wild are going to have to wait even longer to find out.

And that’s the concern. The Wild’s entire offseason strategy depended on clarity in the Larkin situation. Yzerman’s departure doesn’t necessarily end their chances — but it injects uncertainty, delays a resolution and gives Detroit every reason to rethink a trade that had finally seemed possible.