Steve Yzerman makes it known the only player he will accept in return for Dylan Larkin

Nick Kypreos reported that Detroit GM Steve Yzerman would only engage Minnesota on a Larkin deal if Matt Boldy anchors the return.

Larkin still has five years left on his contract at $8.7 million and full no-trade protection through next season.

Larkin's actual short list only includes three teams: Florida, Vegas and Minnesota. Two of those are already priced out, with the Panthers sitting under $400,000 in cap space and the Golden Knights nearly $9 million over the ceiling with Alex Pietrangelo's contract still on the books.

Minnesota entered July with roughly $6.65 million in space, but depth signings for Nick Foligno, Zach Bogosian and goaltender Calvin Pickard dropped that below $4 million.

Swapping Boldy's $7 million cap hit for Larkin's $8.7 million actually raises Minnesota's total commitment, not lowers it.

That timing matters because Quinn Hughes still needs a new contract, and Elliotte Friedman has pegged that deal near $18 million a year, with a signing window that could close around July 12.

Bill Guerin cannot fund both moves without freeing up real money elsewhere first.

Boldy just finished second on the Wild in scoring with 42 goals and 85 points, trailing only Kirill Kaprizov's 89.

Losing that production for a 29-year-old center only tightens the roster crunch Guerin is already trying to solve.

Yzerman's asking price on Larkin looks steep on paper, but it may be the easier half of this equation for Minnesota.

The real question is whether Guerin can land Larkin and lock up Hughes in the same summer without breaking his own cap sheet.

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