Dylan Larkin is six games into his season, and Todd McLellan doesn’t sound worried about a hidden setback so much as a player trying to get his timing back after a long interruption.
The Red Wings captain missed all of training camp and the preseason because of an offseason training injury, then sat out Detroit’s first two games of the 2026-27 season as well. Since returning, he’s had moments.
Larkin scored a goal and picked up an assist in his season debut, a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 6, then added another assist in the Red Wings’ 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 15.
But the last stretch hasn’t looked as sharp. He’s gone five games without a goal and has also had a few turnovers that don’t usually show up in his game.
McLellan was asked whether Larkin is still dealing with the original injury, and he said he hasn’t heard that from the player or the trainers.
"I don't know about it if he is; I haven't been told anything from him or the trainers," he responded when asked if Larkin is still dealing with an injury.
" But his injury prevented him from doing what everybody does right before camp, a month before you really ramp it up. The skates become more intense; body contact begins.
You play in tighter areas, you stop and start more than when you skate in late July, because you're taking it up."
McLellan also pointed to the reality of this season’s compressed preparation. The NHL schedule now runs 84 games, and with camp and preseason shortened, everyone had less time to get up to speed. Larkin, though, had even less than most because he missed camp and Detroit’s four preseason games.
"Everybody knew that camp was short this year, so I think the summer skates became a little more important," McLellan said. "He had none of that, so he's playing catch-up. He simply is."
Detroit will need that catch-up process to move faster. The Red Wings are heading into a four-game road swing that starts Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena, and they’ll be looking for Larkin to chip in more consistently on offense along the way.
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