Dylan Larkin will not play for the Detroit Red Wings Thursday night as Detroit faces the Chicago Blackhawks. Further to that, general manager Shawn Horcoff is expected to speak with the media about it. The news comes less than a day after Larkin missed Wednesday’s practice.
Elliotte Friedman reports, “We will see how Horcoff addresses this, but it sounds like current plan is for Larkin not to play until he his traded.”
Head coach Todd McLellan confirmed the decision but gave no reason or timeline, leaving those details to Horcoff. That suggests this isn’t an injury. Friedman reported the current plan appears to be for Larkin to stay out until he’s traded, while Pierre LeBrun said trade talks have escalated, though a deal isn’t necessarily imminent.
Larkin has requested a move and has expanded his list of preferred destinations to 10 teams. The Minnesota Wild have been linked to him most often, and the Montreal Canadiens are reportedly interested as well. Friedman said Montreal isn’t on Larkin’s list, so the Canadiens would need to build an offer strong enough that Detroit asks him to consider waiving his no-trade clause.
Horcoff’s comments should clarify where things stand.
The Larkin Backstory: How the Larkin and the Red Wings Got Here
News broke in early June that Larkin had asked to be traded, roughly a month and a half after Detroit missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season. Friedman pointed to two factors: the playoff drought and a strained relationship with then-GM Steve Yzerman, after Larkin criticized the lack of deadline moves and Yzerman publicly called on his leaders to be better.
Yzerman confirmed on June 27 that Larkin’s agent had called to request a trade, but when Yzerman was removed from his position as GM, there was some thought that Larkin and the Red Wings might be able to patch things up. That didn’t happen. Larkin provided the Red Wings with a short list of acceptable destinations. Talks went quiet over the summer. The list reportedly included Minnesota, Florida, Vegas and Dallas.
That list later expanded to include a couple of additional teams. Still nothing. The latest is that the list now sits at 10 teams, but the Red Wings still haven’t gotten a deal done, and Horcoff is now the acting GM with the authority to make the move.
Larkin said he doesn’t regret asking out and that he understands the decision to strip his captaincy. He did show up to play, however. That has put everyone at risk, given that an injury would ruin any possible chance of a deal.
