Avalanche and Red Wings fans could argue for days about who was the better player between Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman. There’s no arguing when it comes to who is the better general manager.

On Thursday afternoon, multiple reports surfaced that Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin had requested a trade. The player, the agent, and the team aren’t commenting, but considering multiple outlets have confirmed the reports, it’s probably true. Larkin asking out is a major blow to the “Yzerplan,” a plan that has already taken far too long to come to fruition for the Red Wings.

Yzerman became the Red Wings GM in April 2019 when the team needed to rebuild. Larkin, selected 15th overall back in 2014, was to be the heart of the rebuild, but the Red Wings have yet to make the postseason during Yzerman’s tenure. Some of that falls on Larkin, who has developed into a very good player but not the elite center that can carry an imperfect team to the postseason. Most of it falls on Yzerman, who has built a middling team that was never good enough to make the postseason while also never being bad enough to select franchise-changing players at the top of the draft. They’ve lived in the mushy middle, as some would call it.

And that’s how you end up with Larkin, a Michigan native, requesting a trade from his hometown team while he’s still under contract for another five seasons.

So how does this impact the Colorado Avalanche? Sakic, like every other GM in the NHL, will call Yzerman to see if something can be worked out. Larkin might not be a perfect first-line center, but he’d sure look great playing behind Nathan MacKinnon. His speed would fit perfectly in Colorado and having scored 30 goals each of the past five seasons, he’d add a much-needed left-handed shooting option to a power play that has floundered since Mikko Rantanen left town.

It’s fun to dream, but it’d probably be wise for Avalanche fans not to expect Larkin to end up in Colorado.

Multiple years of going “all in” have depleted the Avalanche of their most valuable trade assets. Larkin has a full no-trade clause and ultimately will decide where he wants to go, but if it gets into any sort of bidding war, the Avalanche are likely to be outbid unless Larkin declares he’d only go to the Mile High City.

How this could really impact the Avalanche is the possibility that Larkin does end up in the Central Division, just not in Colorado.

The Minnesota Wild and Bill Guerin have already shown they’re not afraid to take a big swing, having gone out and acquired Quinn Hughes last season. The Red Wings were rumored to be the other team hot after Hughes, in large part because of Larkin’s friendship with the defenseman. Yzerman wouldn’t pony up what the Vancouver Canucks were asking for, and Hughes ultimately went to the Wild.

That decision by the Red Wings GM looms large with Larkin now asking out.

If there’s one thing the Wild need more than anything, it’s a top-line center. Larkin fits the bill for what Guerin is looking for and unlike Sakic, he’s got a bit more in the chamber when it comes to trade assets. Minnesota adding a 30-goal center to an already dangerous lineup would make the Central Division even more formidable.

Of course, the Wild aren’t the only Central Division team that would look a lot better with Larkin in their lineup. The Utah Mammoth, fresh off a good season where they made the playoffs, are another team that lacks a top-line center. They’ve got an owner who wants to make a splash and are loaded with good young talent that could entice Yzerman to pull the trigger. Larkin on the Mammoth would close the gap between their squad and the three Central Division teams that finished above them in the standings.

Other Central teams will also call Yzerman, including the Dallas Stars. Like the Avalanche, their lack of trade assets puts them at a disadvantage in any potential trade scenario. You can never count out Jim Nill, though.

Larkin’s trade request adds more intrigue to the NHL this offseason, and while he might not end up in Denver, he could end up somewhere that ultimately makes life a bit more difficult for the Avalanche.