Dylan Larkin has narrowed it down to three teams and a trade is imminent

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Jonathan Ouimet
June 7, 2026  (9:58 PM)

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Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Dylan Larkin market just took a hard turn, and Elliotte Friedman pointed it straight at three contenders.

Speaking on the FAN Hockey Show, Friedman named the teams he keeps hearing on Larkin: Minnesota, Tampa and Dallas. Those three, a lot.

Notice who's not on that list. Not the rebuilding Atlantic clubs that dominated the chatter all week. Friedman's loudest names are teams trying to win right now.

That reframes everything. A captain who asked Detroit for help may be about to land somewhere that already has plenty of it.

Start with Dallas. The Stars piled up 112 points, third best in the league, behind Jason Robertson's 96-point season. Adding Larkin to that group is almost unfair.

Friedman's full comments are short but loaded, three franchises dropped in one breath like he's watched the board take shape.

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Here's the catch that follows every contender into this race. Winning teams have thin cap sheets, and Larkin's $8.7 million isn't furniture you slide into a crowded room.

Tampa is the clearest example. Nikita Kucherov just authored a 130-point monster, with Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel eating big money behind him. Where does Julien Brisebois find the space?

Dallas has the same squeeze. Mikko Rantanen alone counts $12 million, and Jim Nill's roster is already stacked down the middle with Wyatt Johnston rising fast.

Minnesota might be the cleanest fit of the three. The Wild rolled to 104 points, and Bill Guerin has spent the offseason clearing veterans, with a center hole sitting right where a 29-year-old number one belongs.

So the real evaluation isn't talent or want. It's math. Every one of these teams has to subtract to add, and Detroit will demand real pieces on top.

Here's my read: Minnesota makes the most sense, both on the ice and on the spreadsheet. The other two would have to gut something good to make the salary work.

And the wildcard nobody's confirmed: whether these three even appear on Larkin's approved list. A short list and a suitor list aren't always the same names.

Steve Yzerman now has interest from contenders, leverage from control, and a captain who wants out. The next move belongs to whoever blinks on price first.

Previously

Friedman reveals a big name just exited the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching race

What Brady Tkachuk just said about the trade rumors is getting everyone talking

It's over for two key NHL players and a major announcement just followed

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2 HOURS AGO   |   262 ANSWERS Dylan Larkin has narrowed it down to three teams and a trade is imminent Which fit makes the most sense for Dylan Larkin?

▢    Minnesota

▢    Tampa or Dallas

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