Wild have reportedly offered three 1st round picks for Dylan Larkin

The Dylan Larkin trade saga in Detroit has officially reached another level, and the Minnesota Wild may be prepared to make an absolutely massive offer to get the former Red Wings captain out of town.

According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, Minnesota has been the most aggressive team in pursuit of Larkin, with one of its reported offers including an astonishing three first-round draft picks. That's a significant amount of draft capital to surrender for a single player, and it speaks volumes about just how badly Wild general manager Bill Guerin wants to bring Larkin to Minnesota.

LeBrun revealed that no other team has made more attempts to acquire Larkin than the Wild, suggesting that Guerin has been persistent in trying to convince Detroit to pull the trigger. However, there's still a major obstacle standing in the way of a potential blockbuster deal.

Despite Minnesota's willingness to put together some enormous offers, the Red Wings apparently haven't been satisfied enough to complete a trade.

And that is where things get particularly interesting. LeBrun also reported that two other teams on Larkin's approved trade list, the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers, have not even engaged in trade discussions with Detroit. In other words, despite having 10 approved destinations, the list of legitimate suitors may be considerably smaller than initially expected.

Minnesota, meanwhile, appears to be going all-in.

The Wild make plenty of sense as a destination for Larkin. They are looking to strengthen their roster with another elite center, and adding a player of his calibre could make them a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Guerin also knows that landing Larkin could have a significant impact on Minnesota's ability to convince other stars to commit to the organization.

Hockey Feed has also been tracking Thursday's dramatic developments, including reports identifying Minnesota, the Washington Capitals and Utah Mammoth as three teams at the forefront of the negotiations.

However, Larkin's unwillingness to expand his 10-team trade list creates another significant complication. Detroit can only negotiate with teams that the veteran center is willing to join, and apparently he has no intention of making things any easier for the Red Wings.

With Larkin now refusing to play until a trade is completed, the pressure on interim GM Shawn Horcoff is mounting by the hour.

Three first-round picks is an enormous starting point for negotiations. The question now is whether Minnesota is willing to add the kind of immediate NHL talent Detroit wants, or whether Horcoff will finally decide that Guerin's offer is simply too good to pass up.

One thing is becoming increasingly clear: the Dylan Larkin saga is approaching its breaking point, and Minnesota might be the team holding the cards.