“Per McLellan, Dylan Larkin (upper body) unavailable for Thursday Red Wings preseason game, there may be a chance he’ll be available for finale, Saturday,” as reported by Helene St. James of Detroit Free Press on X.

The fact that McLellan is still considering Larkin for Saturday’s preseason finale should indicate progress in his recovery from an upper-body injury. On Wednesday, Larkin joined the Red Wings for his first team practice in a long time. Indeed, he may be back soon. If not on Saturday, it’s reasonable to believe Larkin would be back for the season home opener on Oct. 2 against the New York Rangers.

Whether he plays on Saturday, Sept. 26 against the Columbus Blue Jackets or ends up missing both home preseason games, Larkin won’t be sidelined forever. Sooner or later, Larkin will have to come face-to-face with the annoyed fanbase in Motor City.

Hostile reception awaits Larkin

Larkin urged the fans to reconsider before booing him, but it sure feels like they will pay no heed to the former captain’s wish. If it’s inevitable, it might be best for Larkin to get the first painful experience over with during the preseason, when attendance numbers are nothing to write home about.

Make no mistake, one jeering crowd in the preseason won’t be the end of it, but it will give Larkin a taste of what awaits him in his first official home game of the 2026-27 NHL season. Still, there may be no way to prepare for such an experience.

For the time being, Larkin is still considered injured, so he has other, bigger fish to fry before fretting about the reception he’ll get at Little Caesars Arena.

Key takeaways

• Saturday preseason finale: Dylan Larkin may return for Detroit’s final tune-up game against Columbus.
• Oct. 2 home opener: The Detroit Red Wings open their regular season against the Rangers.
• First team practice: The forward recently rejoined his teammates after recovering from an upper-body injury.

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.

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.

“Yes, I think we all should be [embarrassed],” McLellan admitted, dropping a truth bomb in his final postgame availability of the season, via reporter Helene St. James. “Both teams came in with nothing on the line, and you could see the [Panthers’] championship pedigree. I’m going to compliment them, it runs through the organization. They played and it meant something to them.“

Hadn’t McLellan held back, he would’ve gone ballistic on the Red Wings. Detroit missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th straight season. The Red Wings now hold the longest active playoff drought in the NHL. What was once a promising-looking campaign ended with the Wings losing eight of their last 10 games of the season.

Red Wings spiraled out of control

Down the stretch, Detroit went 8–12–4 since the Olympic break, erasing all the progress and success it had enjoyed prior to the hiatus. Needless to say, McLellan was livid to see his team throw everything away.

What stung the most was the fact that they showed little to no urgency in their final games. Allowing eight goals against Florida‘s B-squad is a terrible note for Detroit to end the season on.

Florida played with AHL-filled squad

Conceding eight goals is never fun nor justified in the NHL. However, the fact that the Panthers played an alternative lineup—due to injuries depleting their roster—makes the Red Wings’ 8–1 defeat in Sunrise unfathomable.

Florida had 15 different skaters record points. Aside from Matthew Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen, none of the point-scorers had played in last season’s Stanley Cup Final. Thus, the Cats steamrolled the Red Wings with a squad that is nowhere near their standard.

This was a fluke year for Florida, but it will be back next season. The question is: will Detroit? Will McLellan make it through the summer in the Motor City? Or will he be the first casualty of the Detroit Spring?

Dylan Larkin blamed himself after the Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again, but the rest of the team is still grieving such a heartbreaking end to the season. Still, who’s to blame matters little to fans in Detroit. They want to see a winning team for once, and McLellan’s side has come up short on that promise. Now, the Red Wings must face the music and stand up for their actions. Even McLellan believes so.

“This is Detroit. This is Hockeytown. I’ve been lucky enough to be on the other side of it when they couldn’t stop cheering for this team, and they’re dying for that. They crave that. That’s what they want,” McLellan stated, via NHL.com.

“And I don’t even know if they want a Stanley Cup championship anymore. They just want a team that’s going to come and give them something to cheer about. [The boos are] what we earned.”

The bar is lower for the Red Wings

McLellan was an assistant coach back in the 2007–08 season when the Red Wings last hoisted a Stanley Cup. At the time, Detroit had made the Stanley Cup Playoffs every year since 1991 and would go on to make them every season until 2016. With 11 Stanley Cups in their trophy case and 25 straight postseason appearances, the Red Wings never saw this coming. They haven’t made the playoffs since and now hold the NHL‘s longest active playoff drought.

Back in the glory days, it was championship or bust for Detroit. Now, the expectation has gone down exponentially. Fans just want to see them make the postseason. Detroit can take it from there, but it must first snap its 10-year drought—the longest in franchise history. Even though the bar is set much lower for these Red Wings compared to other teams throughout the years, they can’t clear it.

The Red Wings must undergo changes

Simply put, Detroit comes up short time and again, and that only leads to more frustration. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the nadir of Red Wings history. Patience is running low in Hockeytown; the boos in the last homestand of the season prove just that, and changes must be made in Motor City. Detroit isn’t exactly known for its fashion sense. In the 313, everything old might not be new again after all.

As McLellan blamed Kane for the costly loss in Detroit, Kane knew he couldn’t turn a blind eye or act as if nothing had happened. Now, the American star has bitten the bullet, admitting his responsibility for the mistake that could put the Red Wings out of contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“Maybe the worst I felt personally in my career. A lapse in judgement for sure,” Kane commented on his mistake against the Wild, via Detroit Free Press. “Obviously, didn’t mean to do that or take a penalty at that point in the game. Nonetheless, I take responsibility for what happened there.”

Red Wings must turn it around

Detroit has lost four of its last five games in the 2025–26 NHL season. Up next, the Red Wings will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets—the only team in the Eastern Conference playoff race with worse form than Detroit right now. As the Blue Jackets walk into Little Caesars Arena in the 313, they arrive mired in a six-game losing streak.

Still, the Red Wings can’t take them for granted. It’s not like they have looked much better in recent outings. Detroit has lost four straight at home. Its last victory in Motor City was on March 19 (3–1 vs. the Montreal Canadiens).

Playoff stakes at an all-time high

The Red Wings and Blue Jackets are tied in points (88) with the same number of games played (77), so their upcoming bout in Detroit will have all the ingredients of a playoff matchup. The winner could catch fire at the right time, while the loser may just go ahead and wave goodbye to the postseason.

The Red Wings must do everything in their power to avoid being on the wrong side of that equation. If they miss the playoffs for the 10th straight NHL season, fans in Michigan won’t take it lightly, and big changes may be on the horizon within the organization. In more ways than one, April 7’s game against Columbus has the feel of a win-or-go-home showdown.

Detroit’s last 5 games of 2025-26 NHL season

“It hurts to not get anything out of this game,” McLellan admitted, via NHL.com. “Especially on a penalty 150 feet from our net and away from the play.” McLellan’s comment was a clear shot at Kane‘s stick infraction that handed the Wild a late power play opportunity.

Being booed off the ice at the sound of the second-period horn certainly served as a wake-up call for the Red Wings. In the third period, they found their footing and tied the game at 4–4 after trailing 4–1. However, there was still time left for the Red Wings to trip over the same stone once again.

Kane had scored the equalizer, yet he followed it up by committing a nonsensical tripping penalty on a possession-less Quinn Hughes. Minnesota went on the man advantage, Kirill Kaprizov cashed in with 1:51 left in the game—and that was all she wrote for Detroit.

Playoff implications for Detroit

A win would’ve put the Red Wings in a playoff spot with five games left in the 2025–26 NHL season. Instead, they remain in the jam-packed fight for a wild-card spot. A divisional ticket is no longer available, as the loss to the Wild meant the Montreal Canadiens punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The only way into the postseason for Detroit is now through the wild card. However, there are six teams fighting for those two spots, so the Wings’ odds decrease tremendously.

Red Wings’ playoff drought

With the Buffalo Sabres clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2011, and snapping their 14-season playoff drought, the Red Wings could now carry the burden of the longest active playoff drought. For a franchise that once prided itself on making the postseason 25 years in a row, these are unforeseen levels of misery in Motor City. Detroit’s last playoff appearance was in 2016, and its last playoff series win came in 2013.

The Red Wings can still turn things around, but the loss against the Wild had the feel of a playoff-elimination defeat, even if it was in a regular-season outing. Needless to say, McLellan, Kane, and company can’t afford to point fingers around the locker room. Instead, they must figure out a way to make the postseason and avoid yet another heartbreaking end to the season.

“We’ll write our own story,” McLellan said, according to NHL.com. “There’s teams that are elevating right now and there’s teams that aren’t, and right now, we’re one of them that aren’t.” The coach acknowledged that the team’s drive and consistency have been lacking, leaving the Red Wings short in critical moments.

The Penguins, boosted by a goal and an assist from Egor Chinakhov, remain strong in the Metropolitan Division, winning three of their last four games. Detroit, meanwhile, has lost four of five, falling behind in the playoff race with just a handful of games remaining.

Red Wings’ struggles highlighted by early goals

Pittsburgh opened the scoring quickly, with Rickard Rakell netting his 20th goal of the season on the Penguins’ first shot. Anthony Mantha followed with his 30th goal of the year, and Chinakhov added a third before the end of the first period. Detroit’s John Gibson was pulled for the second straight game after allowing three goals on 14 shots, with Cam Talbot finishing in relief.

Detroit’s competitive lapses are part of a broader trend this season, with the team missing the playoffs for nine straight years. McLellan noted, “Some of it’s technique and skill too. But the will and the drive is something we could use a little bit more of right now.”

Silver linings amid defeat

Despite the loss, Dylan Larkin scored his 30th goal of the season, continuing a streak of five consecutive 30-goal seasons. Meanwhile, the Penguins adjusted without injured Bryan Rust, and Evgeni Malkin returned with an assist and five shots on goal.

With the Red Wings’ playoff hopes hanging by a thread, McLellan and his team must elevate both effort and execution if they hope to challenge the Eastern Conference wild-card spots in the final games of the season.

“We’re not getting tricked by the three goals at the end of the night,” McLellan admitted after the game, via NHL.com. “This was a disappointing response.”

The 5–3 score may tell one story, but the game’s flow tells a whole different one. Detroit was held scoreless and down 4–0 until there were fewer than seven minutes left in the game. A late surge put the Red Wings back in it, but it wasn’t enough, and they are now losing ground in a playoff race that is not for the faint of heart.

Concerning stretch for Red Wings

The Red Wings are coming up short in the biggest moment of the 2025-26 NHL season. With less than 10 games left on the schedule, Detroit is currently out of the playoff picture. Missing the postseason for a 10th straight year could put many important names in Motor City on the hot seat, and lead to big changes in the offseason.

The Red Wings are engaged in a dogfight for a playoff spot out of the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the Red Wings aren’t in a hot streak like the rest of their competitors. Out of every team in the mix, Detroit has the worst record in its last 10 outings (4-5-1).

Silver lining for Wings

If there’s a bright side to their last nine games, though, it is the fact that the Red Wings face an easier slate—in terms of strength of schedule—than their counterparts. Detroit has the 14th-hardest remaining strength of schedule in the NHL, but most of the teams in the Eastern playoff race face even tougher paths.

For example, the Islanders, Blue Jackets, Bruins, Flyers, and Senators are all in the top 10 for toughest remaining schedules. The league has entered the home stretch of a heated race, and the East features a nine-team battle for five spots.

“We were a little bit sluggish for whatever reason,” Todd McLellan commented after the Red Wings lost 3-2 to the Senators, via NHL.com.

Detroit outshot Ottawa 35-21, but was inefficient and paid the price for it. After this defeat, and considering they were coming off a loss to the Boston Bruins, the Red Wings have now dropped consecutive outings against direct opponents in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2025-26 NHL season. McLellan is well aware the Red Wings are now standing on thin ice, and something must change.

Where Red Wings stand in playoff race

Detroit is currently on the outside looking in. The Red Wings sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division and are one point behind the Senators—the last wild-card berth at the moment. A win over the Sens would’ve put the Red Wings in a playoff spot while giving them a three-point lead over their divisional counterparts.

While deflating, this defeat is far from season-ending for Detroit, but it does complicate things more than they needed to be in Motor City. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs in each of their last nine seasons, and they are now facing a very real possibility of missing the postseason for a 10th straight year.

With the Buffalo Sabres sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division, the Red Wings could go on to have the longest active playoff drought in the NHL. Perhaps not even the “Yzerplan” rebuild and McLellan’s arrival will help change the tune in Detroit, as fans in the 313 have been treated to the same old heartbreaking Red Wings for a decade now.

Alex DeBrincat shined for Detroit, scoring the go-ahead goal late in the third period and adding two assists. J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp also scored to keep the Red Wings tied with Montreal in points for third place in the Atlantic Division and level with the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference wild-card spots.

This was DeBrincat’s second straight three-point game, and his line with Compher and Patrick Kane has become Detroit’s primary scoring force since Dylan Larkin’s lower-body injury on March 6. Copp returned after missing three games and added an empty-net goal to seal the win.

DeBrincat leads Red Wings’ scoring line

DeBrincat’s five-game point streak, with nine points (one goal, eight assists), highlights his importance to Detroit’s playoff push. “(Compher) has been great since (Larkin) and (Copp) went out. He was filling in on Larkin’s line and now he’s playing with us and he’s been really good. Now we’ve got (Copp) back as well,” DeBrincat said.

Red Wings stay in playoff contention

The win keeps Detroit in a strong position for the postseason, tied in points with Montreal and the Bruins for the Eastern Conference wild-card spots. John Gibson’s 32 saves and the top line’s consistency reflect the competitive identity Todd McLellan expects from his team, showing Detroit can contend even without Larkin in the lineup.

“[Larkin] is MIA (Missing in Action),” McLellan jokingly said about Larkin, whose adventures with the gold medal have gone viral all over social media, during a press conference. “From what I understand, the POTUS has invited [Team USA] to Washington, and I believe that’s where they are at.

“If it all goes well—weather and flights cooperate—Larkin can sleep in his own bed late tonight. We will have him around the arena tomorrow. Not sure if he will skate, but we expect him to be on the plane and be a factor in Ottawa on Thursday.”

Larkin and Red Wings resume playoff push

As McLellan told reporters, Larkin will be back in the lineup when the Red Wings resume their 2025–26 NHL season against the Ottawa Senators. With him back on the ice, Kane and the rest of the Wings can resume their push to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2015–16 season.

Ten years later, Detroit is vying to snap its nine-season playoff drought. It is the second-longest active drought, only behind the Buffalo Sabres’ 14-year streak. As it stands, both franchises are set to snap those streaks.

Larkin and Kane’s numbers so far

So far in the 2025-26 NHL season, Larkin registers 51 points (26 goals and 25 assists) in 58 appearances. Meanwhile, Kane has put up 32 points (8 goals and 24 assists) in 43 outings.