Red Wings Hold Dylan Larkin Out Against Blackhawks

Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin will miss Thursday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks, coach Todd McLellan announced after the morning skate on October 29, 2026. The decision comes amid uncertainty surrounding the 30-year-old center, who requested a trade during the summer and lost the team captaincy in September. Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff is expected to address the situation.

The Red Wings announced on September 11 that Larkin would no longer serve as captain, a position he had held since January 13, 2021. Detroit entered the 2026-27 season without a captain, following the public disclosure of Larkin's trade request.

Larkin has recorded six points, including two goals and four assists, in 10 games this season. He missed the preseason and Detroit's first two regular-season games because of an upper-body injury, then returned on October 6 against the Ottawa Senators and scored a goal and an assist in a 5-3 home victory.

His return followed a difficult season opener on October 2, when fans booed him during introductions before Detroit lost 2-0 to the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena. Larkin was later named the first star against Ottawa amid a mixture of cheers and boos.

Horcoff addressed the forward's adjustment to the situation on October 14, acknowledging that the transition would take time.

"I think it's going to take some time," Horcoff said on October 14. "He's working back through that. I think it's only going to get easier for him as things go on here and he starts to find his game and his legs a little bit more. It hasn't been easy for him."

Horcoff also praised Larkin's response to the circumstances, saying the forward had received support throughout the organization and had returned to play with immediate effort.

"I have to give Dylan a lot of credit with the way he's handled this. It's clearly not an easy situation, but he's got the full support of management. He's got the full support of his teammates, the coaching staff in there, and he's come back and really came to play right off the bat.

And I think the fans have recognized that. Obviously, there were some tough times for him, I would say, early. But through his effort and through his work and obviously the acknowledgment of it being a difficult situation, and Dylan to his own words."

Larkin did not practice Wednesday, October 28, before Detroit ruled him out for the Chicago game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Selected by Detroit in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft with the 15th overall pick, Larkin has accumulated 649 points, including 278 goals and 371 assists, across 818 regular-season games. He has five seasons remaining on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed on March 1, 2023, carrying an average annual value of $8.7 million.

Larkin scored a career-high 34 goals last season and has reached at least 30 goals six times, including each of the past five seasons. From 2021 through 2026, he scored 160 goals, 37 more than any other Detroit player during that span. He ranks 10th in Red Wings history in goals and points and 11th in assists.

Detroit entered the game with a 5-4-3 record, last in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2016, leaving the franchise with the NHL's longest active playoff drought at 10 seasons.