Dylan Larkin is set to make his season debut Tuesday night when the Detroit Red Wings host the Ottawa Senators, provided he gets medical clearance, head coach Todd McLellan told reporters.
The return comes with plenty of baggage. Larkin asked for a trade in June, then lost the captaincy in September. He also missed the entire preseason and Detroit’s first two regular-season games because of an upper-body injury.
When the Red Wings introduced their scratches before the home opener, Larkin drew a heavy wave of boos from the crowd.
On Tuesday morning, the 30-year-old was skating on the top line between Viktor Arvidsson and Lucas Raymond, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James.
Larkin said in September that he wasn’t ready to discuss the reasons behind his trade request.
The Michigan native is coming off a 34-goal, 67-point season in 74 games as Detroit missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year. He also won Olympic gold with Team USA in February.
This will be Larkin’s 12th season with the Red Wings after Detroit drafted him in 2014. In 808 career games, he has 276 goals and 643 points.
Detroit enters the night at 0-2 and is one of five teams still without a win this season.
The Red Wings will also be without forwards Marco Kasper, Mason Appleton, and J.T. Compher against Ottawa because of undisclosed injuries. Kasper and Appleton are out week-to-week, while Compher is day-to-day.
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Dylan Larkins Return Came With A Reality Red Wings Fans Cant Ignore
Dylan Larkins return to the Red Wings lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury gave Detroit a familiar jolt, even if the circumstances around him remain anything but simple. He had already been through a summer trade request, and the noise around that decision has not faded, but he was back on the ice and helped the Red Wings beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 with the kind of night Detroit needs from one of its most important players.
The return also came with a reminder that the situation is still uncomfortable for everyone involved. Larkin heard boos from fans and took some chirping from opponents, but he said his focus is on playing and helping the team win until a trade happens. For now, the Red Wings are getting production from a player whose future has been a topic all season, and that reality is hard for their fans to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Got A Response That Only Deepened The Frustration
The early-season mood around Little Caesars Arena has already turned sour, and Chris Ilitch tried to meet that frustration head-on with a letter posted on LinkedIn. After a 1-2 start, Red Wings fans have made their displeasure clear with chants to sell the team and boos directed at captain Dylan Larkin, and the organization is now leaning on promotions to help fill the building while the noise around the club keeps growing.
What made the response land so awkwardly is what it left unsaid. Ilitchs note addressed the frustration, but it did not touch on Steve Yzermans removal or the ongoing search for a new general manager, and the questions around the front office are only getting louder as the situation around top defenseman Simon Edvinsson adds another layer of uncertainty for a team already trying to calm its fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin's Return Gave The Red Wings Something They Desperately Needed
Dylan Larkins first game back gave the Red Wings the jolt they had been waiting for. Detroit looked more composed from the start in its home meeting with Ottawa, staying out of early penalty trouble and playing with the kind of urgency that had been missing during a winless stretch that dragged on for nearly six months. Alex DeBrincat led the way offensively with three points, and head coach Todd McLellan had plenty of reason to like the way his team responded around its captains return.
Larkin made the kind of immediate impact Detroit needed, scoring in a game the Red Wings controlled on the way to a 5-2 victory. It was the teams first lead of the season, a small but meaningful marker for a club trying to reset its tone after a frustrating start. The bigger question now is whether this was a one-night spark or the beginning of the Red Wings finally finding the steady play they have been searching for. [Read more 🡒]