The Detroit Red Wings have to figure out what they want to do with Dylan Larkin. The team has already told the center to make additions to his trade list, which only featured the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, and Minnesota Wild. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman will have to decide what to do with Larkin. Specifically, when he wants to trade him.
The most ideal situation for the Red Wings is if they can do so before this year's NHL Draft. For Larkin, they could expect a first-round pick in return, and considering they don't hold one this year thanks to the Justin Faulk trade at the deadline, it might be their best chance. But they'd have to do so quickly, as the NHL Draft takes place on June 26. They can get a first-round pick and find a way to draft a center to help make up for the eventual trade of Larkin.
Red Wings beat reporter for The Athletic, Max Bultman, looked at potential first round targets if they are to receive a pick in a Larkin trade. Bultman mentions the most ideal situation to land a top center would be if they were to get the No. 9 pick from the Panthers or the No. 19 pick from the Utah Mammoth. Perhaps the most feasible option for the Red Wings in either of those scenarios if Swedish center Viggo Bjorck. But Bultman mentions that Bjork is 5-foot-9, and that Yzerman has rarely drafted forwards under 6-feet tall.
Viggo Bjorck would be ideal Red Wings draft target, but Steve Yzerman could stand in the way
"Of course, Bjorck’s size could be an issue for the Red Wings, too. In Yzerman’s time in Detroit, and at his previous stop in Tampa Bay (a combined 15 years of sample), he has only twice used a first-round pick on a forward below six feet tall: Lucas Raymond at No. 4 in 2020 and Jonathan Drouin at No. 3 in 2013. Neither was below 5-10," writes Bultman.
"Bjorck, then, would be an outlier. But then again, he is an outlier. That’s what makes him so exciting."
The Red Wings would have to find a way to get into the top 10 of the first round to even consider getting Bjorck. He is expected to be taken off of the board in that range, so he may not be an option for them. He should be considered the second-best center in the draft behind Caleb Malhotra, who is expected to be drafted within the first five picks of the first-round. But what does work against Bjorck is his size. But despite that, his play and production are enticing.
Playing 45 games with Djurgardens, Bjorck recorded six goals and nine assists. In the IIHF World Championships, Bjorck recorded one goal and five assists in eight games with Sweden.
The upside is definitely there for the Red Wings, whose center depth will be significantly weakened once they decide to trade Larkin. The options available this offseason in free agency and the trade block are limited, so their best shot at landing a difference maker would b ethrough the first round. But first, they'll have to find a way to get a first-round pick back. Hence why the clock is ticking for Yzerman.
If that were to happen and the Red Wings were to have a chance to draft Bjorck, it'd be up to Yzerman to decide whether or not he'd draft the first forward under 5-foot-10 during his tenure as an NHL general manager. If the talent is there, why pass up on Bjorck? First things first, the Red Wings fans have to see if the team will even pick in the first round this year, or if they will extend the Larkin saga deep into the offseason.
