Finally, Dylan Larkin has addressed the media in Motor City after asking for a trade from the Detroit Red Wings before the 2026-27 NHL season. While Larkin’s latest injury update raised eyebrows due to its timing right before the start of training camp, the former captain sat at the podium and faced questions from a no-punches-pulled audience.
“Um, no [no part of me regrets how it turned out]. I asked for a trade I don’t regret. I haven’t thought about it, but I would say no,” Larkin said during his first media appearance since asking for a trade out of the organization.
If one thing was made clear after Larkin’s first public address about the dramatic situation, it’s that he hasn’t been enjoying it. He had trouble finding the right words, and it looked like the whole episode over the summer had weighed on him.
Whether fans in Detroit want to believe him or not, that’s a different story. Each fan is entitled to their opinion, but it doesn’t look like Larkin has been going through the best of times with the whole trade saga hanging over his head.
Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings at UBS Arena.
Larkin accepts being stripped of captaincy
After months of uncertainty, the news was finally confirmed. It was speculated and, quite frankly, considered the correct and only move, but until it was made official, it was right to wonder: Would Larkin remain captain? The answer was, obviously, no.
“It was discussed with the organization. I understand it. I asked for a trade from the Detroit Red Wings as the captain. Actions have consequences,” Larkin admitted to reporters, via Detroit Free Press. “I understand why that decision was made. I’m going to be professional about it.“
What will happen next?
Still, a couple of questions remain unanswered. What will happen next? Will the Red Wings go captainless into the 2026-27 NHL season? Or will the report naming Moritz Seider as Larkin’s captain successor be proven right? Only time will tell. For the time being, Larkin understands why the decision was made.
Had he been traded, Larkin would’ve stopped being team captain, so it’s safe to assume he had already considered that before requesting a trade. Larkin reiterated time and again that it wasn’t a decision made in the heat of the moment, so it’s only logical to assume he weighed that aspect, too.
