After sitting out the past two games to recover from an upper-body injury, Dylan Larkin made his season debut for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. The same Red Wings he asked to be traded from just four months ago.
But that's not the surprising part. When the Red Wings didn't name an interim GM until days before training camp began, there was a high likelihood Larkin would spend some time in a Winged Wheel uniform this season.
And just like at the opening-night game, when a flood of boos rained down on the former captain during player introductions, the first time Larkin touched the puck against the Ottawa Senators, those boos came roaring back in a big way.
It was expected, and it probably won't end until Larkin is traded or the Red Wings clinch a playoff berth, whichever comes first.
Larkin navigates new future
But Larkin knew, as soon as that trade request was leaked, that this would be his life for the foreseeable future, telling The Athletic after the game: “You know, it’s part of it. I’m trying to be a man and face it, and I understand why that’s happening.”
And you can tell Larkin is trying to figure out how to navigate this new future. When he scored his first goal of the season to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead, he didn't even raise his hands over his head to celebrate.
The generally animated Larkin — at least when he scores — just waited for his teammates to envelope him in a group hug, as if he just scored a meaningless goal in a preseason game.
9️⃣3️⃣→ 3️⃣3️⃣→ 7️⃣1️⃣ https://t.co/DNDlLDXNcm
October 6, 2026It's a stark contrast to the Larkin we're used to seeing.
Larkin still wants out
As nice as it would be to have this win be the motivation Larkin needs to stick it out for the rest of his contract, nothing will change.
He reiterated his desire to leave Detroit at training camp, and one win in a long 84-game season won't change that.
What surprised me was how much his teammates rallied around him last night, giving him fist bumps and head taps when he scored.
At the end of the second period, Senators forward Ridly Greig hit Alex DeBrincat with a reverse hit, and Larkin was the first one to take exception. Soon after, DeBrincat joined the fray, as he tried to separate Senators forward Shane Pinto from behind Larkin.
The mentality of going to war and sticking up for your brother is still there, even after everything that happened this summer.
Maybe the team sees all the hatred and vitriol hurled at Larkin and feels for him. Or maybe they even side with him, see how ownership plays hardball with its players and want things to change after Larkin leaves.
Either way, it's nice to see the camaraderie still exists, even if there's a little deep-seated resentment that has to be put aside for the good of the team.
The Red Wings are a better team with Larkin; there's no denying that. But it's still a flawed team that doesn't have a true No. 2 center behind him.
Larkin knows that, and that's why this win won't change his mind.
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