Detroit Red Wings star Dylan Larkin has finally addressed his precarious situation with the club. The center previously asked for a trade out of town earlier this summer. While the forward is highly rated around the league, a move has not yet materialized. As a result, the Red Wings recently stripped him of his captaincy. The veteran had been the team’s captain since 2021.
While he is no longer wearing the C in Detroit, Larkin has reported to training camp. Despite this, the star has picked up an untimely upper-body injury and will not be able to play in the early days of camp. Nevertheless, he has now faced the media to field questions regarding his future with the Detroit Red Wings. Reporters obviously wanted to know if the star has rescinded his trade request. Larkin, however, opted not to answer the question.
“There’s a lot there, a lot of personal stuff in that, and to be honest, I’m not ready to go there yet,” said Larkin, as reported by Ansar Khan. “I understand that there are answers that fans and people that care about this organization around the world want to know, but I’m really not ready to go there. And, you know, it’s maybe something that I may never be.”
“It wasn’t easy to get to that decision. It was very hard. It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. But I don’t take what I did lightly, and I got to that point, and I’m not quite ready to talk about it.”
Dylan Larkin Appears to Commit to the Detroit Red Wings, For Now
Although Larkin avoided the big question, he did hint at a potential reconciliation with the Red Wings. “I’m here right now, and my focus right now is on the upcoming season with the Detroit Red Wings,” continued the forward. The star also claimed to “understand” why interim general manager Shawn Horcoff removed the C from his sweater.
Despite Larkin’s new comments, a trade is obviously still possible. The Minnesota Wild have, so far, registered the most interest in the forward. This is, of course, among the NHL teams the star is currently willing to move to. The Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars are also on the center’s potential wish list. It remains to be seen if he is willing to expand his destination list to help facilitate a move.
Detroit Fans May Have to Welcome Back the Star
Detroit Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch also recently hinted that Larkin could return to the team, despite the request. In a lengthy interview with Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News, Ilitch made multiple references to the center being in Detroit for the 2026-27 season. Whether this was to strengthen the team’s position in trade negotiations is debatable.
A potentially major hurdle in welcoming Larkin back is how Detroit hockey fans will react to the star. Ilitch admitted that he “can’t control” this particular issue. Larkin, on the other hand, seemed to acknowledge the uncomfortable situation on September 17 and called the team’s fans “passionate.” If he is not dealt, fans may very well eventually welcome him if he plays well on the ice.
Red Wings Star Center Breaks Silence on Trade Request