Well, folks, the team that's chased Dylan Larkin hardest may be the one running lowest on patience. Frank Seravalli reports on Frankly Hockey that the Minnesota Wild are growing frustrated in the Larkin talks — they feel they've put legit offers on the table, and the deal still isn't done.
Seravalli's read is that if Larkin could pick any one of his ten teams right now, he'd pick Minnesota — and the Wild know it. But that hasn't made them take-it-or-leave-it, either. Per Seravalli, Minnesota has told Detroit it can shape the deal a few ways: a roster player plus a prospect plus a couple of first-round picks, more futures-based, or more roster help. Flexible, in other words — just not flexible enough yet.
The hang-up, Seravalli says, is the name at the centre of Minnesota's offers. Detroit, in his words, doesn't see Danila Yurov "as someone that is going to really move the needle and drive this trade for them." That's the gap: the Wild believe they've already done enough, and the Red Wings don't see the centrepiece they need.
So here we are, folks — the most eager buyer in the room is the one getting frustrated, and the clock on that list-change window Elliotte Friedman flagged runs through Monday night. Something's got to give, on one side or the other.
Sources: Daily Faceoff (Frankly Hockey, Nov 1); context from TSN (LeBrun, Oct 29, on Minnesota's multiple offers).