At long, long last, the Detroit Red Wings - and Dylan Larkin - have released a statement.
"Over the past couple weeks, Red Wings leadership and I have had several in-depth discussions," the statement from Larkin begins. "I will be at training camp with my teammates. When the new leadership is in place, we'll talk further about the direction of the team. We will keep those conversations private, and I will keep my focus on the season ahead and on the guys in that room."
While short and simple, it provides a lot of clarity on where Larkin's head is at. We haven't heard a word from Larkin since he requested a trade in early June. As of right now, it appears that he hasn't budged from his request. While there's no indication that he's open to reconciling with the club, he appears to be focused single-mindedly on the start of the season.
Additional statements from the Red Wings
In addition to Larkin's statement, the Red Wings have released statements of their own. They've declined to comment further on Larkin's trade request, simply reiterating that the Larkin is under contract with the Red Wings and that any conversations will take place privately.
The most intriguing comments, however, came regarding the captaincy.
"The Red Wings will begin the 2026-27 season without a captain being named. Any further discussions or decisions regarding this topic will be made once new hockey operations leadership is in place."
In other words: Dylan Larkin is no longer captain of the Detroit Red Wings.
It's likely the team runs with multiple alternate captains, similar to what they did in the period between Henrik Zetterberg and Larkin's captaincies. Multiple rumors throughout the organization seem to indicate that star defenseman Mortiz Seider will likely be named captain next, though, as the statement reads, this is ultimately up to the organization itself.
Where the Red Wings go from here
Training camp is just six days away. The Red Wings have a lot of ground to cover between now and puck drop on October 2. They need to sign Simon Edvinsson to an extension, figure out the fate of Alex DeBrincat and then, at long last, address Larkin's situation.
We'll have more answers once they officially name a general manager. Despite the fact that they released a statement, the lack of updates on the GM front is leading to further frustrations. You don't have to look far, either: the social media posts with the statement alone are full of people asking questions about the next GM.
Where the Red Wings go from here is anyone's guess. But this is about as good a start as any.
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