The Dylan Larkin saga adds another chapter, or perhaps a footnote, to it with the Detroit Red Wings about to start training camp.
An upper body injury will keep Larkin off the ice as the team reports back in preparation of its question-filled season. Interim General Manager Shawn Horcoff made that announcement when addressing the media on Wednesday.
Larkin sustained the injury while training this week. With a longer 84-game slate ahead, a player as important to the team as Larkin will be cautious in gearing up for opening night. For the moment, there is no time frame for Larkin’s return.
An 11-year member of the Red Wings, Larkin has scored 30 or more goals in five-straight seasons. More than that production, he is currently better known for requesting a trade following another March collapse that extended Detroit’s 10-year drought between playoff appearances. The last time Larkin was in the playoffs was his 2015-16 rookie season.
With Detroit having just named Horcoff their Interim General Manager, it is still an open question of if Larkin will ever suit up for the organization again. His limited list of three (or four) teams he reportedly would accept a trade to has created an organizational gridlock that ultimately led to previous General Manager Steve Yzerman to step down.
Detroit needs to learn to operate without Larkin anyway
Barring a miraculous mending of fences, Larkin’s days with Detroit are numbered. With an interim GM and five years left on his contract, the Red Wings can admittedly take their time in making a decision. Regardless of the time frame of a Larkin trade, the Red Wings have to learn to play without Larkin in the lineup.
Should Larkin miss time (or be traded), a center spot will open up for the roster. The Red Wings need to let youngsters Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson sink or swim.
We’ve seen the highs and lows of Kasper, with last season representing the latter for the 2022 draft pick. With respect to the effort that Andrew Copp has put in to salvage value from his contract, his time with Detroit is also likely ending by next summer at the latest and the Larkin situation was always going to put Kasper in the spotlight as the team’s ostensible first-line center.
Kasper’s torrid second-half of his 2024-25 rookie season offer a glimpse of optimism that, regardless of how the team performs in the standings, he can establish himself as a core top-six forward for the long haul. His speed and willingness to play physical should create space for a Lucas Raymond and the additional power play time should he get it in Larkin’s place could help his production.
Larkin absence is Danielson’s chance
Despite an underwhelming logjam of depth centers in Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher and Michael Rasmussen, 2023 first rounder Nate Danielson hasn’t separated himself from that group in his limited NHL exposure. In 28 games, Danielson notched just seven points on two goals and five assists, logging an average ice time of 11:03 per game.
While Larkin missed time due to injury shortly after the Olympics, Danielson was nursing an injury of his own, which limited him to just 18 games in the AHL. That was a golden opportunity that came and went due to the unfortunate circumstance.
Detroit needs to see what they have at the NHL level in Danielson, who put up 15 points in his 18 AHL games last year after posting 39 in 71 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins the previous season. A smooth-skating pivot whose two-way ability is lauded, a Larkin trade or prolonged injury absence is as good an opportunity as the 9th overall pick in 2023 can ask for. It's time for him to show he can at least outperform the disappointing J.T. Compher and supplant him on the team’s depth chart.
When Larkin has been out, the Detroit Red Wings have cratered. If that trend is going to stop and give fans some semblance of hope during what looks like rebuild 2.0, it will have to be through growth by Kasper and Danielson.
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