You can see Larkin’s side, to some extent.
It seems he wants to join a team with a better chance of winning. His only Stanley Cup Playoff experience lasted five games in 2015-16, his rookie season. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for the past 10 seasons, which is the longest drought in their history and the longest active drought in the NHL.
Larkin clashed with former general manager Steve Yzerman and requested a trade after last season. Yzerman was fired July 15, but Detroit still hasn’t hired a permanent head of hockey operations. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent, remains unsigned and also wants a trade.
Although he was unable to participate initially due to an upper body injury, Larkin reported to training camp. When he was removed as captain, he said his actions had consequences. He faced boos during introductions in the home opener and at the start of his first game back, and he had six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 games.
In his mind, he gave the Red Wings enough time to get a deal done.
“Dylan is fed up with this situation,” Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, told The Athletic. “We think he has been very professional and cooperative throughout this process.”
But that changed on Thursday, didn’t it? Larkin said he wanted to regain the trust of his coaches and teammates. Now he has abandoned them and put pressure on the team. Is it professional and cooperative?
“It’s pretty raw,” Horcoff said. “I think everyone needs a little time in the locker room to digest. I will say I was very, very impressed. Dylan asked to be traded this summer, and these players welcomed him with open arms, as did the coaching staff, as did the management, as did the fans to a large extent.”
The Red Wings were hoping they could work things out with Larkin. It’s over now.
“My original plan was to try to solve this problem,” Horcoff said. “I wanted to try to do what I could to keep Dylan here in the Red Wings jersey, and I clearly wasn’t able to do that.”
When asked if the situation had become beyond repair, Horcoff responded: “Dylan doesn’t want to be a Red Wing anymore, and he’s not with us. That’s a pretty strong statement. I think Dylan is the only one who would really be able to answer something like that, but for us, it’s pretty simple.”
Defenseman Moritz Seider said “it meant a little bit more” when the Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night, because “that’s our team.” Despite the distractions, they are 5-1-3 in their last nine games.
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