Without Dylan Larkin, who has been placed on Injured Reserve (IR), the Detroit Red Wings have lost their first two games of the 2026-27 NHL season. After the 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, head coach Todd McLellan didn’t mince words about the team’s penalty killing.
The Red Wings couldn’t get the better of the Jets in a game where both sides were missing their trade-requesting American Olympic gold medalists, as neither Hellebuyck nor Larkin played. After the loss, in which all of Winnipeg’s goals were scored on the power play, McLellan pulled no punches about the team’s PK amid a head-scratching start to the NHL campaign.
“Well, the penalty kill failed us,” McLellan said after the 3-2 Jets loss, via Detroit Free Press. “And the penalty, unsportsmanlike conduct, right after we get scored on, bang, they’re up two-nothing. We can’t allow that, pretty simple. But the penalty kill let us down. First one was a lucky one, second one was a penalty that we didn’t need to take, third one was off a rebound. We’ll keep working on that, try and fix it.“
Larkin could’ve helped PK
Although McLellan admitted he felt bad for Larkin after the home opener at Little Caesars Arena, in which fans gave the former captain a taste of the season-long hostility, he had previously lashed out at Larkin with a blunt statement.
Todd McLellan speaks during a press conference following the NHL Global Series.
Despite the current love-hate relationship between head coach and disgruntled forward, McLellan is well aware of the impact Larkin could have on special teams, especially on the penalty kill. With Larkin—conveniently—sidelined and on IR with an upper-body injury, the Red Wings are missing his two-way impact to start the 2026-27 NHL season.
It’s unclear if they will ever have Larkin on the ice this season, as his trade out of Detroit could finally occur, meaning Larkin might be shipped away before he even makes his season debut. What’s clear is that if Larkin is back at some point, the current roster will welcome him back to the penalty kill, on which Detroit is off to a terrible start. It’s very early, but the Red Wings have the second-worst PK in the NHL, operating at a 50% success rate.
Red Wings fans won’t admit they need Larkin
Though Larkin was punished and taken off the power play during the team practices he actually participated in coming into the season, he was still used in short-handed situations, and it’s now clear the Red Wings are missing him on the ice when a player is off and in the penalty box.
No fan in Motor City will admit that, though, and many may actually be on board with the team struggling to kill off penalties as long as it means one-upping Larkin in the pettiness department.
Key takeaways
- Dylan Larkin placed on IR as Red Wings lose first two games of season.
- Detroit lost 3-2 to Winnipeg Jets after all opponents’ goals occurred on power play.
- Penalty kill operates at 50% success rate, ranking second-worst in the NHL.
