Detroit Red Wings fans may be getting awfully tired of hearing about Dylan Larkin all the time. But this conversation would be happening if it weren’t for the awful situation the player and organization are in.
That said, the latest Larkin sighting has fueled all sorts of conspiracy theories regarding the forward’s future.
An IG post on Larkin’s account, not anyone else’s, shows the Red Wings center working out in full Detroit regalia.
Check it out on his IG profile:
HeavyDylan Larkin posted a practice session in full Detroit Red Wings gear – Source: IG
Now, it’s mind-shocking to think that after all of the ruckus that Dylan Larkin caused, he’s signaling that he’s staying in Detroit. If that’s the case, why stir the pot the way he did?
One of the talking points in this entire fiasco is that the Larkin trade request was something that wasn’t supposed to get out. Yet, it did. And it looked nasty on the Red Wings organization.
The team was unable to have any sort of meaningful damage control, leading to terrible optics of the entire situation. Perhaps if the conversation had remained private, no one would have been the wiser.
But it got out, and the Red Wings are now stuck with either pretending this whole thing didn’t happen, or actually calling Dylan Larkin’s bluff and moving him anyway.
Red Wings Chose Dylan Larkin over Steve Yzerman
In an earlier piece here on Heavy, the idea of Detroit choosing Larkin over former GM Steve Yzerman discussed the organization’s tough call.
Indeed, it seems like the Red Wings chose Dylan Larkin over Yzerman. But it wasn’t so much that the organization loved Larkin so much and despised Larkin. It was that, in the end, it was easier to jettison Yzerman than Larkin.
The ramifications of botching a potential Larkin trade would have been entirely disastrous. The team might not have been able to recover from it.
That’s why the choice came down to Yzerman or Larkin. And if Yzerman leaving was the most plausible way of having Dylan Larkin return, well, the Red Wings really didn’t have much of a choice.
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What’s Next for Detroit?
With the summer in full swing, there’s really not much more the Red Wings can do at this point. Beyond somehow pulling off a late-summer blockbuster, without a GM in place, the only reasonable thing the organization can do is try to patch things up with Dylan Larkin.
Judging from the IG post, that may have happened already. Of course, it wouldn’t be a public thing because the organization might not want to admit what happened.
However, if Larkin does indeed return next season, the Detroit will need to publicly address the matter. Even if it’s months late, the Red Wings will owe fans an explanation.
Larkin, for his part, will have to pledge allegiance to the organization and fans. There’s no way he can return without publicly renewing his vows to the team. And then, there will be the matter of him remaining captain.
Even if Dylan Larkin returns, he shouldn’t be captain. Unless the organization can offer some sort of logical explanation for the entire thing (throw Yzerman under the bus), the only thing that’s left is to turn over the team’s leadership to Moritz Seider or Lucas Raymond.
Dylan Larkin Sighting Fueling Red Wings Conspiracy Theories