Through all his years in the NHL, Todd McLellan has never been one to mince or sugarcoat words. If anything, Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings should already know that by now. After so much time under McLellan’s instructions, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Even if his mind is set on leaving Detroit, Larkin mustn’t have lost sight of who his head coach is and how he goes about his business.
Shortly after Larkin admitted he had no regrets about requesting a trade out of Detroit during his first press conference since the end of the 2025-26 NHL season, McLellan voiced a statement of his own. Though McLellan admitted he and the Red Wings will still welcome the former captain, he dropped a subtle warning reminding Larkin of his obligations.
“Who wouldn’t want Dylan Larkin on their team? He made a commitment to the team signing a contract,” McLellan said, via Helene St. James of Detroit Free Press. “We made a commitment to him to provide an opportunity to play and that’s where we’re at right now.”
McLellan reminds Larkin he’s under contract
Although the timing of Larkin’s recent injury raised eyebrows ahead of training camp, the former Red Wings captain made his intentions clear: to be with the team during the NHL preseason. Regardless, just in case, McLellan made sure to remind Larkin that he made a commitment to Detroit and must stick to it.
Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
For the time being, the 30-year-old homegrown center is holding up his end of the bargain. Though not healthy enough to participate, Larkin did report to Day 1 of training camp. Larkin would have been subject to a team suspension otherwise, like Connor Hellebuyck was after he failed to report to the Winnipeg Jets’ training camp. Curiously enough, both were teammates on Team USA’s gold-medal Olympic team. Still, Larkin said that experience had nothing to do with his desire to leave the Red Wings.
In the meantime, fans remain wary of Larkin’s untimely—or timely—setback. If Larkin is indeed using it as a thinly veiled way to avoid participating in team activities, it could backfire tremendously. Larkin did urge Red Wings fans to reconsider before booing him on home ice, but at some point, Larkin will have to face the music. And it’s trending toward an ugly melody. As for how McLellan and his teammates will treat Larkin, he may have no reason to fret.
McLellan will use Larkin for as long as he has him
Whether he’s upset at Larkin for the troublesome spotlight he’s brought upon the Red Wings or not remains unknown. What’s clear, though, is that McLellan still sees the great qualities in Larkin’s game. As long as he’s available to the head coach, McLellan will utilize Larkin in a big role. That was all but confirmed when McLellan stated: “Who wouldn’t want Dylan Larkin on their team?”
McLellan plans to play Larkin as long as he is still around Motor City. Whether Larkin actually is fit to play, though, that’s a different question. As things stand, it’s the million-dollar question in town, along with whether the trade request is still standing or not. After Larkin’s press conference, neither has been answered, and nobody knows when Larkin will become available to the media again.
