Center Dylan Larkin is expected to make his season debut for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night after his contentious trade request went public in June.
Larkin, 30, has been out with what the team said is an upper body injury, and will be evaluated before Detroit faces the Ottawa Senators at home. “If he’s cleared, he’s playing. And if he isn’t, then he won’t,” said coach Todd McLellan. “We expect his best, every shift.”
All signs at the team’s morning skate pointed to Larkin returning to the lineup. He was practicing with wingers Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond, his normal linemates. He was also working on the Red Wings’ top power-play unit.
Detroit needs reinforcements offensively, as the team is missing injured forwards Mason Appleton, Marco Kasper and J.T. Compher. The Red Wings also have two goals in their opening two losses on the season.
Larkin requested a trade three years into an 8-year, $69.6-million contract he signed with the Red Wings in March 2023. Larkin’s contract carries a no-trade clause. He initially submitted a three-team list to Detroit — reportedly the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights — although he’s since expanded that field.
Sources told ESPN at the time that there was tension between Larkin and Detroit management. GM Steve Yzerman stepped down during the offseason and was replaced by Shawn Horcoff on an interim basis. Larkin, who won a gold medal with the U.S. in the 2026 Winter Olympics, has missed the playoffs in 10 of 11 years in the NHL. The Red Wings are mired in the longest playoff drought in team history, last appearing in the playoffs in 2016.
Larkin reported to training camp. He had the Red Wings captaincy taken away from him after “several in-depth discussions” with team leadership.
“I asked for a trade from the Detroit Red Wings as a captain, and that has consequences,” he said. “I understand why that decision was made.”
If Larkin does play for Detroit on Tuesday night, he already has a sense of how fans will react. He was introduced to the crowd at the team’s home opener, wearing street clothes with other inactive players. The Red Wings fans loudly booed him.
“Dylan being part of the team, he wanted to be out there for the ceremony,” McLellan said after the game. “Obviously, he’s got to live with the ramifications of asking for a trade. It’s not comfortable for anybody. I feel bad for him.”
But Larkin’s teammates have been supportive of his return to the lineup.
“We’ve got his back. We’re here for him. We’re trying to win games out there, and he’s going to help us do that. So we’re going to do anything we can to support him. We’re excited to have him back. He makes our team so much better,” said DeBrincat.
Defenseman Moritz Seider said Larkin addressed his teammates and that those conversations would remain private.
“He’s helped us win games in the past, and hopefully he can help us flip the switch tonight,” he said. “[The booing] is never something you want to hear, but this is their opportunity to express their feelings. We’re just prepared for everything.”
Larkin has played his entire NHL career in Detroit, which drafted him No. 15 overall in 2014. Larkin ranks 10th in franchise history with 643 points.
Larkin’s trade request sent ripples through the NHL, with commissioner Gary Bettman saying last week that the league is monitoring how players are using their trade protection to force moves to desired destinations.
“This notion now, where you can select where you want to go to and you can demand a trade, that was never the original intention,” said Bettman. “If this becomes a problem — I don’t think one offseason a problem makes — but if it becomes a problem, it’s something we are going to have to discuss with the players’ association.”
