Dylan Larkin skated again Wednesday morning at Little Caesars Arena, still working as an extra two days before Detroit’s season opener against the New York Rangers.
Detroit has not locked its longtime top center into a line, and with just over 48 hours before puck drop, the uncertainty around Larkin only sharpens by the day. Following Red Wings practice on Wednesday, coach Todd McLellan
told reporters that Larkin is considered “day to day.” His status for Friday’s game against the New York Rangers remains “TBD,” according to Michael Whitaker of The Hockey News.
Larkin’s Wednesday session marked his sixth practice back with the team, and he was again grouped as an extra rather than penciled into one of Todd McLellan’s four forward lines, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
Dylan Larkin’s Line Spot, Practice Reps With Red Wings
MLive‘s Ansar Khan reported Larkin took a rep or two Wednesday in place of J.T. Compher, skating alongside Emmitt Finnie and Viktor Arvidsson, a look Khan called the likely landing spot if Larkin is cleared for Friday, since McLellan has kept Alex DeBrincat, Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond together as a trio all camp. Khan added that, six practices in, there is still no word on whether Larkin will suit up for the opener.
On special teams, Khan reported Larkin did not get a rep on the top power-play unit in place of Copp, working the penalty kill instead.
Larkin first rejoined full-team drills on Sept. 23 after missing the opening week of camp with an upper-body injury suffered during an off-ice workout, then practiced through the following days and into this week, the Free Press first reported. He sat out all four of Detroit’s preseason games.
Larkin saw a doctor earlier this week for a fuller read on the injury, and coach Todd McLellan said afterward the center still needs to round back into game shape.
“He’s looked like he’s had some time off, and he needs to skate a little bit more,” McLellan said, as quoted by The Hockey News.
Larkin is on the 23-man roster Detroit submitted ahead of opening night, though his game-day status can still change.
Dylan Larkin’s Trade Request, Red Wings Future
The uncertainty traces back to the offseason. After Detroit missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season, Larkin asked out, and then-general manager Steve Yzerman confirmed in late June that Larkin’s agent gave the club a short list of teams the center would accept in a trade.
Larkin was stripped of the captaincy he had held since January 2021 as a result and addressed the situation publicly for the first time at camp Sept. 17.
“I asked for a trade from the Detroit Red Wings as the captain, and actions have consequences, and I understand why that decision was made, and I’m going to be professional about it,” Larkin said, as quoted by NHL.com.
He remains under contract for five more seasons at an $8.7 million average annual value on the eight-year, $69.6 million deal he signed in March 2023, protected by a full no-trade clause through 2027-28. His original list of acceptable destinations has since widened to roughly eight American-based contenders, according to The Hockey News.
Detroit has not budged on price, either. One general manager involved in talks described the club’s asking price as a younger version of Larkin himself, a bar that helps explain why nothing has moved.
Larkin, 30, is Detroit’s homegrown product, a Waterford, Michigan, native the Red Wings drafted 15th overall in 2014. He scored 20 seconds into the second period of his 2015 NHL debut against Toronto and has totaled 643 points across 11 seasons, all in Detroit, according to the team’s official player page. But Larkin hasn’t played a playoff game since that rookie season.
Will Red Wings Dylan Larkin Play in Friday’s Opener? His Status as of Practice Today