Dylan Larkin Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery
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
NHL Announces Player Assignments For Skills Competition
The NHL All-Star Skills competition will take place tomorrow night in Las Vegas, and the league has announced ahead of time which players will participate in which events. The player assignments for the seven events are as follows:
Fastest Skater
Chris Kreider, NYR
Adrian Kempe, LAK
Kyle Connor, WPG
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH
Jordan Kyrou, STL
Dylan Larkin, DET
Cale Makar, COL
Connor McDavid, EDM
Save Streak
Jack Campbell, TOR
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL
Frederik Andersen, CAR
Tristan Jarry, PIT
Cam Talbot, MIN
Juuse Saros, NSH
Thatcher Demko, VAN
John Gibson, ANA
Fountain Face-Off
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA
Claude Giroux, PHI
Jordan Eberle, SEA
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson
Roman Josi, NSH
Nick Suzuki, MTL
Zach Werenski, CBJ
Mark Stone, VGK
Hardest Shot
Adam Pelech, NYI
Timo Meier, SJS
Victor Hedman, TBL
Tom Wilson, WSH
Breakaway Challenge
Goalies: Manon Rhéaume & Wyatt Russell
Kirill Kaprizov, MIN
Trevor Zegras, ANA
Jack Hughes, NJD
Alex DeBrincat, CHI
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK
Las Vegas NHL 21 in ’22
Nazem Kadri, COL
Auston Matthews, TOR
Joe Pavelski, DAL
Steven Stamkos, TBL
Brady Tkachuk, OTT
Accuracy Shooting
Leon Draisaitl, EDM
Clayton Keller, ARI
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF
Sebastian Aho, CAR
Jake Guentzel, PIT
Troy Terry, ANA
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY
Patrice Bergeron, BOS
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK
Two new events, the Fountain Face-Off and 21 in ’22 will be held outside in the Bellagio fountain and Las Vegas strip respectively. Individual winners of each event will earn $30,000.
2022 NHL All-Star Game Rosters Revealed
Jan 26: After Batherson was injured last night, the league has announced that Brady Tkachuk will replace him and be the Senators’ representative.
Jan 13: During a live reveal on ESPN’s SportsCenter program in the United States, the National Hockey League unveiled their four divisional rosters for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Eight skaters and two goalies were announced for each team, leaving one skater spot open for each division. That last spot will once again be decided by a fan vote, who they can select by voting at NHL.com/LastMenIn.
The head coaches of each team were announced earlier, decided by the teams in first place (by points percentage) in their division on New Years Day. Florida’s Andrew Brunette heads the Atlantic Division, Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour will coach the Metropolitan Division, Colorado’s Jared Bednar is the bench boss for the Central Division, and Vegas’ Peter DeBoer will serve as the Pacific Division’s coach.
Below are the full rosters for each division.
Atlantic Division
F Auston Matthews “C” (Toronto Maple Leafs)
F Drake Batherson (Ottawa Senators)
F Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)
F Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers)
F Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings)
F Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens)
D Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres)
D Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
G Jack Campbell (Toronto Maple Leafs)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Metropolitan Division
F Alex Ovechkin “C” (Washington Capitals)
F Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
F Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils)
F Chris Kreider (New York Rangers)
D Adam Fox (New York Rangers)
D Adam Pelech (New York Islanders)
D Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes)
G Tristan Jarry (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Central Division
F Nathan MacKinnon “C” (Colorado Avalanche)
F Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets)
F Alex DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks)
F Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)
F Clayton Keller (Arizona Coyotes)
F Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues)
F Joe Pavelski (Dallas Stars)
D Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
G Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators)
G Cam Talbot (Minnesota Wild)
Pacific Division
F Connor McDavid “C” (Edmonton Oilers)
F Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
F Jordan Eberle (Seattle Kraken)
F Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)
F Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings)
F Timo Meier (San Jose Sharks)
F Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights)
D Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas Golden Knights)
G Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks)
G John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks)
Snapshots: Three Stars, Coyotes, Point
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, with Dylan Larkin taking the top spot. The Detroit Red Wings captain scored five goals and seven points in three games, helping the club maintain a grip on the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. Larkin, seemingly rejuvenated by his upstart young teammates, has 29 points in 27 games this season. Should he finish with more than a point-per-game, it would be the first time in his seven-year career.
Vladimir Tarasenko and Nikolaj Ehlers took home second and third respectively after outstanding weeks of their own. The St. Louis Blues winger had four goals and six points in three games, proving once again that he’s healthy and ready to reclaim his place as one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league. After two seasons marred by injury, Tarasenko is up to 29 points in 31 games. Ehlers meanwhile has grown into one of the most consistent players for the Winnipeg Jets and tallied seven points in just three games. The 25-year-old now has 24 points in 30 games, split evenly between goals and assists.
- The Arizona Coyotes have paid approximately $930K to the city of Glendale, Katie Sharp of The Athletic confirmed with city manager Kevin Phelps. The team has “satisfied” what the city asked for when they threatened to lock them out of Gila River Arena earlier this month. The Coyotes have now gotten up to date with debts owed to the city and state, while NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly insisted that it wasn’t a problem and the team isn’t moving. In fact, Bettman suggested that Glendale had an “edge or agenda” in how they were dealing with the Coyotes. Phelps told The Athletic at the time that there was no agenda, only that the city wanted “assurances that the team pay all of their obligations to the city in a timely manner.”
- Brayden Point was back on the ice at Tampa Bay Lightning practice today, and he was wearing a regular white jersey, according to team reporter Gabby Shirley. Point was not included in the regular lines but skated alongside Gabriel Fortier and Nikita Kucherov. The star center is expected to return soon after the holiday break; he last played on November 20 and was given a four-to-six-week timeline.
Dylan Larkin Clears COVID Protocol
Nov 18: Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that Larkin is confirmed negative, meaning he should be able to exit the protocol and play tonight for the Red Wings. The team has officially confirmed he had a false positive and Larkin was at the morning skate in Las Vegas with the rest of the team.
Nov 17: During last night’s game against the Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin exited partway through and didn’t return. The team announced that he had been pulled because of COVID testing and is now in the protocol.
The Red Wings did not confirm whether Larkin tested positive, but Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that a positive test result from the morning was received by the team during the game. Should Larkin develop any symptoms, he’ll be held away from the team for a minimum of ten days. He will likely stay in Dallas while the Red Wings travel to Vegas for a match against the Golden Knights tomorrow.
Losing your captain is never ideal, but Larkin is also in the midst of a strong stretch of play for the Red Wings. Even in last night’s game, he scored before leaving, and now has goals in four of his last five matches. The Red Wings ended up losing the game and are now at 8-8-2 on the year.
Jake Allen Injured, Expected To Miss Time
Carey Price may be out of the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program and back with the Montreal Canadiens, but he has yet to actually suit up for the team. Price’s readiness may have just become much more dire, as his understudy is now be out of commission. In Saturday night’s match-up with the Detroit Red Wings, starter Jake Allen was forced out of the game after an ugly collision in net in the first period. Detroit’s Dylan Larkin was shoved from behind by Habs defenseman Jeff Petry while on a net drive and had no time to stop before crashing into Allen (video). Initially, it actually appeared that Larkin received the worst of the blow, with Allen seeming alright. Yet, it was Allen who eventually left the game while Larkin returned (and scored a pair of critical goals, including the overtime game-winner.)
If there was any optimism that Allen was kept out only as a precaution and would be able to return to action right away, that was quickly erased after the game. With the Canadiens turning around and traveling to play the rival Bruins on Sunday, the team announced that Cayden Primeau had been recalled and would meet the team in Boston. After Samuel Montembeault played most of the game on Saturday, Primeau may even be the starter on Sunday, as Allen is clearly not available. Just how long Allen will be out remains the critical question.
While there has been no word yet on the severity of Allen’s injury, an extended absence would be a major blow to an already-struggling Montreal squad. Allen has started 14 of 16 games for the Canadiens and has been playing well. Montembeault is a different story, as there is a reason Allen has been a workhorse for the team. The 25-year-old waiver claim has an .885 save percentage and 3.69 GAA in four appearances this season and sadly this is not far from his career NHL numbers either. If Price and Allen are unavailable and Montembeault becomes the de facto starter, life will get even more difficult for the Habs. Primeau, 22, has some brief NHL experience of his own, but his 2020-21 numbers were disastrous and set the young goalie back in his development. Primeau is off to a good start with the AHL’s Laval Rocket this season, but has yet to show he is ready for the NHL. The team hopes Allen is not sidelined long-term or that Price can finally make his return, because the outlook of their young replacement tandem is bleak.
Snapshots: Dermott, Larkin, Bozak, Oshie
While Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott has been in trade speculation over the past week or so, he doesn’t seem to be worried about it, telling TSN’s Mark Masters that he’s not too worried about it, referencing it’s not the first time he has been in speculation. Part of the rationale behind the idea he could move was for salary cap purposes although the injury to Petr Mrazek – which will keep him out long enough to be LTIR-eligible – lessens the need to make a move to free up cap room in the short term.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Red Wings center Dylan Larkin has returned to the team after missing the last three games due to unspecified personal reasons, relays Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. The 25-year-old is a welcome return having averaged a point per game through his first eight games while averaging nearly 18 minutes a night and playing in all situations.
- With Blues center Tyler Bozak suiting up tonight Anaheim, he triggers a $750K bonus in his contract, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Those are supposed to be charged in the year they’re earned but a team can go over the cap with bonuses and take the charge the following season. Considering their current cap situation, the latter could be the case with Bozak, who still has three other bonuses in his deal, per CapFriendly.
- Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that although winger T.J. Oshie is currently in a walking boot, he is expected to return to the ice in some capacity this week. That would certainly be welcome news for Washington which has been hit hard on the injury front with center Nicklas Backstrom and Anthony Mantha also out of the lineup at the moment.
Dylan Larkin Suspended One Game For Roughing
The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced a one-game suspension for Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin. The ruling comes after Larkin was given a match penalty during Thursday night’s game after a punch to the face of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Mathieu Joseph. As noted in the explanatory video, the rationale behind the suspension from the Department is as follows:
Larkin and Joseph raced for the loose puck, and Larkin cuts in front of Joseph to establish position. Joseph shoves Larkin, causing him to hit the boards and fall to the ice. Larkin then gets to his feet, finds Joseph, and swings wildly, punching the unsuspecting Joseph in the face with a gloved hand, with sufficient force to knock him to the ice. This is roughing. It is important to note that this is not a case of two players who willingly choose to engage in a mutual confrontation. Joseph has no warning that he is about to be punched, and Larkin gives him no time to brace for contact, defend himself, or choose to engage in the altercation. We understand that Larkin is frustrated on this play, but, as our Department has established in the past, players are not excused from punishment merely because they’re acting in response to the actions of another player. What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the retaliatory nature of the punch and the force with which it is delivered to an unsuspecting opponent.
Larkin has no previous history of suspension. He will miss Saturday’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks and will be eligible to return on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It’s also important to note that Larkin may have been held out of the game against Vancouver regardless, as he was an extremely limited participant in practice this morning due to a potential injury suffered on the controversial hit by Joseph. Larkin’s health will be evaluated today.
In Larkin’s absence, it’s likely that Robby Fabbri will shift to center on the top line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond, who could make his NHL debut on Saturday, on his wings. Carter Rowney could slot into the lineup in a fourth-line role.
Dylan Larkin Will Have Department Of Player Safety Hearing
12:33 pm: Head coach Jeff Blashill reports that Larkin’s absence from most of practice was indeed due to the Joseph hit. Blashill notes that Larkin will “see some people today,” likely meaning the team will issue an update tonight or tomorrow.
10:50 am: Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will have a Department of Player Safety hearing Friday for roughing the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Mathieu Joseph, the league announced.
The play originated with Joseph making a controversial hit on Larkin into the boards, which caused Larkin to fall. Larkin’s hearing generates from when he got back up from the fall, immediately punching an unsuspecting Joseph, who fell to the ice.
Referees assessed Joseph a roughing penalty on the play, while Larkin was assessed a match penalty and removed from the game. He finished the night with a goal and a +3 rating. It was an unexpectedly chaotic home opener for the Red Wings, who fell 7-6 to the Lightning in overtime after entering the last ten minutes of the third period with a 6-3 lead.
MLive.com’s Ansar Khan reports that Larkin made a brief appearance at the Red Wings’ practice this morning, but promptly left the ice. It’s unclear at this time whether this has to do with the timing of the hearing or if Larkin suffered any injury on the play.
Dylan Larkin Expected To Be Healthy By Training Camp
It is easy to forget that Detroit Red Wings Dylan Larkin suffered a season-ending injury this past season. The upper-body injury occurred late in the season, courtesy of a cross check to the neck by fellow captain Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, with the Red Wings well out of contention and Larkin himself not even playing too well. Yet, with a new season right around the corner and Detroit and its best player looking forward to taking a step in their rebuild this year, Larkin’s injury has come back into focus.
Nearly three-and-half months since Larkin was felled by what appears to be a neck or back injury, the talented forward is still recovering. According to The Athletic’s Max Bultman, Larkin only returned to skating last month and was cleared to resume shooting last week. He has not yet been cleared for contact with training camp arriving in six weeks. Fortunately, Larkin believes he will be ready by then. The savvy young forward has been taking his rehab in stride and tells Bultman that he is feeling great and is confident in his recovery. With plenty of time left to keep progressing at a healthy rate, Larkin expects to be back at full strength for training camp.
Larkin did admit to Bultman that he was not as measured with his off-season training last year, believing that he may have overworked himself during the extended break in preparation for the 2020-21 season. This could have explained Larkin’s injury and extensive recovery period. It also may have contributed to a career low in goal-scoring, both total and per-game. Larkin notched just nine goals in 44 games last year. He totaled just 23 points as well. This is a far cry from the expectation for the skilled center, who recorded 189 points in 229 games over the three season’s prior, including 32 goals and 73 points in 2018-19. The Red Wings hope that a healthy, rested, and re-focused Larkin can get back to that elite scoring pace this season.