Dylan Larkin’s season is set to begin from the sideline, at least for now.
The former Detroit Red Wings captain will miss the team’s first two games because of the upper-body injury he suffered at the start of training camp, head coach Todd McLellan told reporters including Max Bultman of The Athletic. McLellan added that Detroit is hopeful Larkin can be back for the third game of the season on October 6th.
For a Red Wings team that has already had a bruising offseason, the timing only makes things harder. The summer turbulence started when Larkin asked to be traded away from the city where he spent the first 11 years of his career.
A month later, Detroit moved on from general manager Steve Yzerman. The search for Yzerman’s replacement stretched for two months before Shawn Horcoff was named interim GM in September, a move that also complicated the club’s efforts to re-sign restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
Larkin’s injury is separate from all of that, but his absence adds another problem for a team already without a top-four defenseman.
What Detroit will miss is obvious. Larkin was a steady force last season, putting up 34 goals and 67 points for his fifth straight year with at least 30 goals and 65 points.
That run includes his best season, the 2022-23 campaign, when he finished with 32 goals and 79 points in 80 games. He’s also been a dependable presence in the faceoff circle, posting a 53.9 faceoff percentage on more than 7,000 draws over the last five seasons, while averaging 34 shot blocks and 56 hits per season.
He’s been logging major minutes, too, with at least 20 minutes per night in each of the last three seasons. That kind of usage leaves a real void when he’s out, and Detroit will have to sort through its center options quickly.
Andrew Copp looks like the leading candidate to slide into a top-line role between Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. Behind him, the depth chart gets murkier.
J.T. Compher, Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson all have a case for second-line minutes.
Compher has given Detroit steady two-way play over three seasons and handled a third-line role last season. Kasper was pushed to the fourth line behind him, a step back after his 37-point rookie season in 2024-25.
There’s also an argument for giving Kasper a bigger job. Moving him up to the second line could help jump-start his scoring again.
It could also open the door for Danielson to take on a meaningful role early in his career after he produced 15 points in 18 AHL games last season. Kasper and Danielson bring more offensive upside, while Compher offers more help on the defensive side.
However Detroit sorts it out, the way those three are used could say plenty about where the team is headed if, and when, Larkin’s trade request is honored.
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