The team sitting at the top of The Athletic’s Dylan Larkin trade board is the one that spent the summer making sure it did not need another center. Max Bultman, who covers the Detroit Red Wings for the outlet, ranked the 10 clubs on Larkin’s approved trade list by how much sense a deal would make for Detroit, and he put the Utah Mammoth first.
That is the tension in the ranking. Utah is not short on centers. It is short on reasons to say no to the return Detroit would ask for.
Why the Utah Mammoth Top the Dylan Larkin Trade Board
Bultman’s case for the Mammoth rests on their prospect pool rather than their need at the position. He said,
“In theory, the Mammoth are the team that should get the Red Wings the most excited. It stings that Utah can’t trade young center Barrett Hayton, after matching an offer sheet for him this summer, but its farm system is loaded with talent at every position — some of which is already in the NHL. Center prospect Caleb Desnoyers is the big name, but wingers Daniil But, Tij Iginla and Ethan Belchetz have serious pedigree of their own, and young defenseman Dmitri Simashev is highly appealing as well.
The main complicating factor: The Mammoth don’t really need a center, after acquiring Vincent Trocheck to fill that need this summer. That said, adding Larkin would be an upgrade for them. He’d raise the level of their forward group and give them all kinds of options for how to arrange the lineup. If the Mammoth want to do it, they have all the young players Detroit could want, and could spare a more veteran piece off their roster too — and would need to, for cap purposes. It’s just a question of how aggressive the Mammoth would be to make it happen.”
Utah’s Cap Space Is the Complication
Detroit has $15,833,894 in cap space, according to Spotrac. Utah has just $3,929,927, which is the practical obstacle Bultman is pointing at when he says the Mammoth would need to move a veteran contract back the other way.
Larkin carries a cap hit of $8.7 million per season and becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2030-31 season. For a deal to fit, the Red Wings may have to retain salary, or Utah has to send a contract to Detroit to balance the books. The prospects to make it worth Detroit’s time are already there.
Larkin Would Also Be Joining a Contender
Utah is not a rebuild Larkin would be asked to wait out. The Mammoth are 8-4-0 with 16 points, second in the Central Division behind only the Minnesota Wild, who are 8-3-2 with 18 points. Minnesota was one of only three teams on Larkin’s original list, so the preference there is long established. On the business of the trade itself, though, Utah is the club with the assets to end this.
The 10 Teams on Larkin’s List
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press first reported that Larkin had expanded his list to 10 teams: the Colorado Avalanche, Utah Mammoth, Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning. Insider Nick Kypreos reported that Detroit is already sitting on multiple offers it considers merely fair, without naming the teams behind them.