Centre Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings will be out for around two weeks due to a lower-body injury, the team’s coach announced on Monday.
Larkin departed the game late in the Red Wings’ Saturday 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers, meaning he will miss a pivotal point in the team’s season.
As Detroit’s first-line centre and top scorer with 54 points in 55 games this season, Larkin is the team’s engine. His most recent absence, which occurred in the middle of December, was followed by the team’s worst run of the season: they lost four of their five games without him, including the one in which he was knocked out against Ottawa, and then had a frustrating December trying to find their form again.
The Red Wings battled back from that rocky month and turned in strong showings in January and February, and as a result, now hold a six-point cushion in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. But they have lost two straight and this week will begin a road trip that includes visits to the last two Stanley Cup Champions, Colorado and Vegas.
“He’s a driver for us,” Lalonde said. “These are the bumps — if you want to stay in that battle, you want to get over that (playoff) line, you’ve got to fight through some of these things. And this is our opportunity on this road trip.”
What Larkin means to the Red Wings
Perhaps the easiest way to describe it is: To the extent that a player is able to benefit his team. He plays both special teams, is their main goal scorer, and his motor sets the tone for the entire squad. He centres their most potent line by playing between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, and he regularly scores and sets up important goals. Perhaps most significantly, he correctly slots the remaining players in their lineup. Detroit has put a lot of effort into strengthening its lineup this year, but without Larkin at the top, the Red Wings’ centres must do a lot to set up opportunities for wins against their opponents.
Who can fill Larkin’s role?
During Monday’s practice, Joe Veleno skated between DeBrincat and Kane, suggesting that he will likely get the first opportunity. While Veleno doesn’t have Larkin’s offensive resume, he can nonetheless mimic Larkin’s speed and puck-moving abilities and use his stature to win battles down low. The Red Wings believe that Kane and DeBrincat perform best when playing with a centre with pace. With 26 points in 59 games, the 24-year-old forward is enjoying the greatest season of his young career so far. He will have plenty of opportunity to expand on this performance as he plays between two of Detroit’s most exciting players. He will likely use much more throughout the next two weeks: In ordinary games, he plays for about 14 minutes and 30 seconds on the ice, but when Larkin wasn’t available in December, he often drew more than 20 minutes.V
Red Wings schedule outlook without Larkin
Losing a player as significant as Larkin would never be ideal for the Red Wings, but this is an especially crucial time with the team starting a challenging road trip while attempting to secure a postseason berth. Even with Larkin in the lineup, this week’s games against Colorado and Vegas (part of three games in four nights) were going to be tough, and they will only get harder.
The Red Wings will want to rise to the occasion, but they also have two important games coming up in the next two weeks, one each against Arizona and Buffalo. Detroit had a 65% chance of making the playoffs going into Monday, but if they want to stay in that position, they will need to make it through the next two weeks without their captain, especially if the Islanders close the gap.
Is there any reason for optimism?
Lalonde drew attention to the fact that, in addition to Larkin’s absence this time around, the Red Wings were also without their No. 2 centre, J.T. Compher, and important forward, David Perron, which put further pressure on their starting lineup. Even though Larkin is the most important component, Detroit won’t be relying as heavily on him to make up the difference this time.
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