Montreal Canadiens fans weren’t shy about their feelings toward the Detroit Red Wings’ ex-captain, Dylan Larkin.
Saturday night’s double shutout between the Red Wings and Canadiens was full of “We Want Larkin!” chants from the fans who crowded the Bell Centre.
Per NHL.com’s Sean Farrell, “Dylan Larkin drew chants of “We want Larkin!” on his first couple of shifts.”
After the game, Larkin said, “It was interesting. I never would have imagined that in this building in my career, but they’re passionate fans. In my opinion, this is the best atmosphere in hockey and they’re knowledgeable and they love their team. So that’s how I read into it, and after a few seconds, I was just back to focusing on the game.”
Larkin, whose trade list reportedly never included the Canadiens, seemed pleasantly surprised with the Bell Centre’s reception. One that was the polar opposite of the “boos” he received during player introductions on opening night in Detroit.
It will remain to be seen whether the reception he got from Montreal fans will entice him to reconsider.
One Stat Could Reveal Why Canadiens Fans Want Dylan Larkin
It’s still early in the season, but the Canadiens are one of the NHL’s worst teams on the power play. Following Saturday’s win over Detroit, the Canadiens are 1-for-17 on the man advantage, good for a 5.88 percentage.
Larkin is one of the NHL’s best forwards on the man advantage. Between 2022-23 and 2025-26, Larkin has scored 129 goals, an average of 32.3 per season. 68 of those goals came at even strength, and 57 were on the power play. If there is any one player in the NHL capable of catapulting a team at 5-on-4, it’s Larkin.
Montreal would pay a generous price for him, so they would lose assets. But the trade-off could at least make the Canadiens respectable on the man advantage.
Last season, despite the Red Wings struggling to score, Larkin helped Detroit finish 12th on the man advantage. Ironically, the Canadiens finished 10th. If they’re only going through a rough patch on the power play and can somehow convince Larkin to waive his no-trade clause, then the Canadiens could get even more dangerous.
Larkin Wouldn’t Need To Carry The Canadiens
One massive benefit for Larkin is that he would be heading to a much deeper hockey team if he ultimately decided to waive for Montreal. The Canadiens already have a phenomenal 1C in Nick Suzuki, so this is a team whose lineup Larkin can sidle in as the 2C.
Despite their poor power play, the Canadiens have been solid in scoring. Following Saturday’s win, Montreal is 16th in the NHL with 14 goals. So they are capable of hovering around the top half of the league even without a proven player like Larkin.
Playing for a deeper team that proved it was capable of making a memorable playoff run would help Larkin’s 5-on-5 play as much as he would help take Montreal’s power-play unit up a notch. That would make Montreal a good fit for Larkin and, for Larkin, a good fit for Montreal.
Canadiens Fans Want Dylan Larkin, And One Stat Explains The Appeal