Daniel Brière cashes in if Dylan Larkin leaves Detroit.

Daniel Brière could cash in on a Dylan Larkin trade that sends Detroit's captain somewhere else.

Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di Marco reports the Flyers could broker a three-team Dylan Larkin deal between the Red Wings and the Wild.

The Larkin file has been dragging for months.

Minnesota has been aggressively pursuing the Detroit captain, and nothing has gotten across the line.

The catch is that Larkin doesn't have Philadelphia on his 10-team trade list.

According to Di Marco, Flyers GM Daniel Brière has accepted that Larkin isn't coming, but he's willing to act as a facilitator anyway.

Philadelphia would reportedly absorb Wild forward Yakov Trenin, whose cap hit is $3.5 million, as long as the return makes sense for the Flyers.

Trenin has 17 games played this season with two assists and no goals.

The idea is that every team gets closer to what it wants.

Minnesota lands the top-line center, and Detroit pulls assets from two clubs instead of one.

WHAT THE FLYERS WOULD WANT BACK

For Philadelphia, the reported interest goes past taking on salary.

Sources close to the team say the Flyers would be open to a deal centred around Wild center prospect Charlie Stramel and a future first-round pick, in exchange for Owen Tippett.

Stramel was the 21st pick in the 2023 draft and hasn't played an NHL game this season.

Tippett has one goal and one assist through 11 games.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, would reportedly receive an impact NHL player among the pieces coming back for Larkin.

He has 6 points in 10 games this season, and he's 30.

On the Flyers' side, this is the smart play.

They sit 30th in the NHL at 4-9-4 with a goal differential of -21, and a club in that spot should be collecting young players and picks, not holding a sniper who has one goal.

Montreal hasn't gone away either.

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is reportedly waiting for Larkin to add Montreal to his list of approved destinations.

Detroit has also reportedly looked at Boston, Los Angeles and Buffalo, but Larkin's camp has drawn a hard line.

The Bruins lead the Atlantic Division at 11-4-1, which makes them the obvious name on that list, and they still haven't moved the needle.

The Flyers visit the Rangers tonight and the Canadiens host Utah.

None of these frameworks has been confirmed by the teams involved, and Larkin's list still decides where he can go.

THE SABRES' PUSH AND LARKIN'S STANCE

On Tuesday, TSN's Darren Dreger made an interesting report on the situation between the Detroit Red Wings and center Dylan Larkin.

The NHL insider said on the show Insider Trading, the Red Wings have yet to receive an offer from a team on Larkin's trade list that they could take to the 30-year-old and say, "this is a deal we can make."

Instead, Detroit has reportedly received an offer from an undisclosed team that is not on Larkin's list, one that interim GM Shawn Horcoff is reportedly willing to accept, according to Dreger.

Larkin's camp, however, still believes better offers are out there from teams on his initial ten-team list.

The report brings another one into focus as earlier this week on Monday, TSN's Chris Johnston said on The Chris Johnston Show that the Buffalo Sabres made a "pretty big offer at one point" but were told Larkin wasn't willing to waive his no-move clause to go there.

Buffalo came up again when Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast on Thursday that some teams are pushing hard to get onto Larkin's trade list, citing the Sabres as one of them.

Larkin will need some convincing, but Buffalo appears to be one of the teams on the outside looking to make a massive push to get in.

The Sabres have plenty of young forwards, especially at the NHL level.

They also made a strong push for Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck before he was dealt to New Jersey, and they may view Larkin as their next top target.

Buffalo has more than enough assets to put together a solid offer, and Detroit is likely already willing to accept one.

The only caveat is that Larkin won't waive his no-move clause.

The Sabres have first-round picks in each of the next three years and young centers like Zach Benson, Konsta Helenius and Noah Östlund.

They also have a potential top-six center option in Josh Norris, as well as notable prospects like forward Ilia Morozov and defenseman Radim Mrtka.

If Larkin were to expand his list to include Buffalo, a deal might already be done.

With the Sabres not making the cut so far, Horcoff still appears to have his work cut out for him in getting a trade done.

THE LIST HURDLE

Larkin started with three teams and expanded to 10: the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Utah Mammoth, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche.

TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday that Buffalo is one of the teams sitting off that list, along with Montreal, Boston and Los Angeles, and that Larkin's camp, led by agent Pat Brisson, has told the Red Wings no again in recent days.

That is the part of this that matters most to Sabres fans.

Buffalo does not need Larkin to warm to the idea of Buffalo in general.

It needs him to add the one team in his own division that would cost Detroit the most to do business with.

Larkin is in the fourth season of a contract that includes a full no-move clause, meaning he controls every destination.

THE THREE-TEAM FRAMEWORK IN CONTEXT

For the three-team deal to work, Larkin must add Minnesota to his list — and the Wild are already on his expanded 10-team list.

That is the critical difference between the Minnesota path and the Buffalo path.

Larkin has already said yes to Minnesota.

He has not said yes to Buffalo, Montreal, Boston or Los Angeles.

If the Red Wings and Wild can agree on the base of a deal, Philadelphia becomes the facilitator that makes the numbers work.

Brière takes on Trenin's $3.5 million cap hit, which helps Minnesota clear room for Larkin's $8.7 million cap hit.

In return, the Flyers get Stramel, a 21-year-old center who was a first-round pick in 2023, plus a future first-round pick.

They give up Tippett, who has one goal and one assist in 11 games this season.

Tippett is 25 years old, signed through 2027-28 at a $4.9 million cap hit, and has shown he can score — he had 28 goals last season.

But the Flyers are 4-9-4, 30th in the league, with a goal differential of minus-21.

A team in that position should be collecting futures, not holding a mid-career winger who is not producing.

Stramel is a 6-foot-3, 216-pound center who played college hockey at Wisconsin and Michigan State.

He has not played an NHL game this season.

A future first-round pick from Minnesota would likely be in the late 20s, given the Wild's current standing.

For Detroit, the reported return includes an impact NHL player among the pieces coming back for Larkin.

That player is likely a roster forward or defenseman who can help the Red Wings immediately, while the rest of the package comes from Minnesota and Philadelphia combined.

The exact identity of that player has not been reported.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DANIEL BRIÈRE

Brière took over as Flyers GM in March 2023.

He has been clear about his plan: collect young assets, build through the draft, and stay patient.

This deal fits that plan.

He does not get the star center he might have wanted.

But he gets a first-round pick and a former first-round prospect for a player who has one goal this season and whose value is not rising.

Tippett is not the problem in Philadelphia.

But he is also not the solution for a team that is not competing this season.

Moving him for futures is the kind of move that makes sense for a club in the Flyers' position.

Stramel is a long-term project, but he plays a position — center — that is always in demand.

The first-round pick gives Brière another asset to use in a future trade or to add to the prospect pool.

Taking on Trenin's contract is a short-term cost.

Trenin is signed through 2026-27 at $3.5 million per season.

He has no goals in 17 games this season.

He is a physical fourth-line forward who kills penalties.

For a rebuilding team, that is not a problem — it is a placeholder.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR MINNESOTA

The Wild have been chasing a top-line center for years.

Larkin is a 30-year-old, two-way center who can play against top competition and produce offense.

He has 6 points in 10 games this season.

Adding him would give Minnesota a legitimate No. 1 center to pair with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.

The cost would be significant: a first-round pick, a top prospect in Stramel, and likely a roster player going to Detroit.

But the Wild are in win-now mode.

Kaprizov is 27 and in his prime.

The team has cap flexibility after the buyout penalties for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter expire after this season.

Larkin's $8.7 million cap hit is manageable.

And because Larkin has Minnesota on his list, the Wild do not have to worry about him refusing to report.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DETROIT

Interim GM Shawn Horcoff is in a difficult position.

Larkin has told the team he no longer wants to be part of the organization, according to the Yahoo Sports report citing a suspension without pay since Oct. 29.

But Larkin controls where he goes.

He has a full no-move clause.

He has given the Red Wings 10 teams he will accept a trade to.

Detroit cannot simply take the best offer from any team.

It can only take an offer from a team on Larkin's list.

And so far, no team on that list has made an offer that Horcoff can take to Larkin and say, "this is a deal we can make."