Larkin requested a trade after last season and gave the Red Wings a “short list” of teams for which he would waive the no-trade clause in his contract, according to Steve Yzerman, who was general manager at the time.
The 30-year-old center lost the captaincy entering this season.
He reported to training camp but couldn’t participate at first due to an upper-body injury sustained in offseason training. Although he returned to practice, he did not play in the preseason or Detroit’s first two regular-season games, both regulation losses.
The fans booed him when he was introduced before the opener at Little Caesars Arena on Friday. But he remains the Red Wings’ No. 1 center, and they need his help.
Detroit is down two centers. McLellan said Marco Kasper is week to week and J.T. Compher is day to day due to injuries. Forward Mason Appleton is also week to week with an injury.
The Red Wings scored a total of two goals in their first two games -- a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday and a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
“The players, I think, have said to you they believe we’re a better team with Dylan Larkin in the lineup, and I can’t argue with that, so we’ll be excited about getting him back in there,” McLellan said. “We expect his best every shift. And let’s face it: We’ve had a tough time scoring so far this season, and Dylan’s been able to provide offense for a number of years, so that should help us.”
Larkin set an NHL career high with 34 goals last season, and he has scored 30 or more goals six times, including each of the past five seasons. From 2021-26, he scored 160 goals, 37 more than anyone else for Detroit. He ranks 10th in Detroit history with 643 points (276 goals, 367 assists) in 808 games, including 67 points (34 goals, 33 assists) in 74 games last season.
“He has a good nose for the goal,” Raymond said. “He scores a lot of goals. The way he drives the puck, his skating, just that presence on the ice too, it’s good for our team. It’s good for our lineup. Yeah, he looks good out there.”
How will Larkin’s teammates help him through the emotions under the circumstances?
“We try to stick together as a team, and that exact same thing goes with him,” Raymond said. “He’s obviously a very close friend of mine. It’s like we’ve said, with Dylan on our team, we’re a better hockey team, and we’re excited to get him back tonight.”
