Dylan Larkin is the captain of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He signed a five-year contract with Detroit on August 10, 2018. On January 13, 2021, Larkin was named the 37th captain in Red Wings history.
This season, Detroit has worked hard to expand its lineup, but without Larkin at the top, it puts a lot of pressure on the Red Wings’ centers to produce winnable matchups against opponents.
Here is what happened to Dylan, what he means to the Red Wings and who can replace him?
What happened to Dylan Larkin?
Lalonde referred to Larkin as a driver for Detroit because of the stability he gives while playing heavy minutes at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill. It won’t be up to Veleno alone to fill the vacuum.
The Detroit Red Wings will be missing their leading scorer for around two weeks. That was the awful news provided Monday by coach Derek Lalonde, who revealed that captain Dylan Larkin had a lower-body injury in Saturday’s loss to the Florida Panthers.
Larkin would be out for two weeks, including the upcoming trip, which starts Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche, and seven games in all.
“We’ll probably have a better feel for his progress after the road trip,” Lalonde said, alluding to the middle of next week. Dylan now leads the Wings with 26 goals and 54 points in 55 games.
He missed four games in December due to an upper-body injury, during which the Wings lost 1-3, but they were also missing J.T. Compher and David Perron at the time.
The Wings (33-22-6) are attempting to recover from consecutive losses while also maintaining their Eastern Conference playoff position. There are just 21 games left in the season, and the trade deadline in the NHL is Friday, March 8.
Who can fill Larkin’s role?
It appears Joe Veleno will get the first crack at it, as Veleno skated between DeBrincat and Kane at Monday’s practice.
The Red Wings feel Kane and DeBrincat are at their best when playing with a center with pace, and while Veleno doesn’t have Larkin’s offensive track record, he certainly can replicate the speed and puck-transporting ability, as well as use his size to win battles down low.
The 24-year-old forward is having the best season of his young career so far, with 26 points in 59 games, and playing between two of Detroit’s most dynamic players affords him an excellent opportunity to expand on that.
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