Red Wings put Larkin on injured reserve as trade request hangs over opener

The Red Wings placed Dylan Larkin on non-roster injured reserve Friday before their season opener, leaving the former captain unavailable while his trade request remains unresolved.

Larkin has an upper-body injury. ESPN reported that fans booed when his name was announced and he appeared on the video board during opening-night introductions at Little Caesars Arena. Detroit began the season against the Rangers without a captain, having announced last month that the next decision on the role would wait until new hockey operations leadership was in place. ESPN’s opening-night report

A hoped-for return, not a confirmed date

Coach Todd McLellan said Thursday that Larkin would miss Detroit’s first two games, against New York and Winnipeg, according to The Hockey News. McLellan hoped he could return Tuesday against Ottawa, but that was not a confirmed clearance. The Hockey News injury update

Larkin suffered the injury during an off-ice workout before training camp. He acknowledged his trade request publicly September 17 but declined to explain what prompted it or discuss the possibility of reconciliation.

“It wasn’t easy to get to that decision. It was very hard. It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing,” he said. NHL.com’s training-camp report

The contract behind the trade request

Larkin has five seasons remaining on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed in 2023, ESPN reported. The deal includes a no-trade clause. Detroit’s original contract announcement set its average annual value at $8.7 million. Red Wings contract announcement

Then-general manager Steve Yzerman said June 27 that Larkin’s agent had requested a move and provided a short list of teams for which he would consider waiving the clause. Yzerman said he could not guarantee the request would be fulfilled. NHL.com’s account of the request

The remaining term and Larkin’s approval of a destination are both part of any prospective deal. Detroit has not announced a trade.

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