In his return to the Detroit Red Wings, former captain Dylan Larkin faced the music, endured the boos and ended his game with a goal and an assist.
Since then, he's been virtually invisible. (Well, unless you count last night's secondary assist and primary assist -- the latter of which was fantastic.)
Despite ample play time, key power play minutes and a handful of talented line mates, Larkin has oscillated between autopilot and brief flashes of the old Larkin since his season debut. He leads the team in giveaways with a putrid 18 in just seven games. That's a little over three giveaways per game. His seven defensive zone giveaways lead the team.
The defensive awareness that many have prided Larkin on is nonexistent.
It's clear that Larkin is trying to send a message to the organization to speed up his trade request, but this kind of play is unacceptable.
At this point, the Red Wings need to hold Larkin accountable for his poor play.
Why the Red Wings should bench Larkin for at least one game
This lazy lack of effort is reminiscent of Pierre Luc-Dubois's infamous shift which resulted in the Columbus Blue Jackets benching (and eventually trading) him. This isn't to say any of his shifts have been close to that lack of effort by PLD, but it's certainly shown glimpses of it at times.
The Red Wings, unfortunately, don't have a lot of luxury when it comes to offensive depth at center. Benching Larkin pushes Andrew Copp up to the second line center role again, a place where he's clearly a bit out of his element.
Without Marco Kasper in the mix - and with J.T. Compher still hurt - the Red Wings don't have a lot in terms of men down the middle. That said, they can't just roll over and let Larkin's lack of effort go unnoticed. If Larkin's low effort message is "trade me", the coaching staff's reply should be "play better first."
If rumors are believed to be true, a Larkin trade could happen as early as this week. If that's the case, it could certainly explain Larkin's laziness. But it doesn't excuse the noticeable lack of effort.
Red Wings will need to get used to life without Larkin
Whether he's benched or continues to float out there on the ice, the Red Wings need to get used to a life without their ex-captain. Eventually, interim general manager Shawn Horcoff will find the Waterford native a new home. This upcoming slate, should the Red Wings choose to bench Larkin, will give the team an idea of where the offense will be without him.
It will almost certainly take a hit in terms of production. After all, Larkin is a 30-goal, 70-point forward. That kind of offense isn't easily replicated. Sooner or later, the team is going to have to find a way to replace his production, whether it be this season or a season in the future.
In an ideal world, Larkin has a bit of a wakeup call, gets back to his high level of production and finds himself on a new team with a great return. Should he continue to float around on the ice, the team should contemplate benching him or reducing his minutes.
The Red Wings can't afford to be worse with Larkin on the ice.
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