May 3: Larkin explained today that the surgery has been a success, and that he looks forward to a full summer of training ahead of camp in the fall.
April 18: The Detroit Red Wings will be without captain Dylan Larkin for the rest of the season after he underwent core muscle surgery today. The successful procedure was carried out in McLaren Hospital in Michigan, and Larkin is now facing a recovery timeline of eight to ten weeks.
It was a noticeable step in the right direction for Larkin and the Red Wings this season, even though they are set to miss the playoffs once again. The team was buoyed by the arrival of several impactful rookies, while the captain himself rebounded from a terrible 2020-21 season. Larkin recorded his second 30+ goal season by scoring 31 times in 71 games, and was on pace to set setting a new career-high in points.
Now facing a serious recovery, it will be interesting to see whether this summer brings an extension for the 25-year-old center. Larkin is only signed through the 2022-23 season and will be eligible for an extension in July, though there is at least some concern over whether that is truly the plan of general manager Steve Yzerman and the rest of the Red Wings brass.
Detroit has basically no long-term commitments at this point, with Robby Fabbri the only player in the entire organization signed to a one-way contract or 2024-25. While Larkin seems an obvious choice to break that trend and sign a big extension, the team could have different plans for the future. Should he sign, it would likely be quite a hefty contract for the 15th overall pick from 2014. Larkin has 358 points in 504 career games, but has only reached the playoffs on one occasion–way back in 2016. With Tyler Bertuzzi, Pius Suter, Oskar Sundqvist, and Alex Nedeljkovic also scheduled for unrestricted free agency in 2023, there could still be some drastic changes to the core group as they look to move into the next era of competitiveness.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
He was having a great season too.
Get well soon Dylan. Also, his career high for goals is 32 and points is 73 accomplished in the 2018/19 season
I like the way you talk friend