Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McClellan said he has sympathy for Dylan Larkin after the former captain was met with vitriol from his home crowd during Friday night’s season-opening shutout loss to the New York Rangers.
Larkin, who was stripped of his captaincy after requesting a trade this offseason and placed on IR before Friday’s faceoff, received a chorus of boos when introduced alongside his scratched teammates at Little Caesars Arena.
McLellan pushed back after the game against TNT studio analyst Paul Bissonnette, concluding on the broadcast that the Wings were trying to embarrass Larkin with the announcement.
“Dylan, today, being a member of the team, he wanted to be there for the ceremony…Dylan’s explanation was, ‘I don’t want the rest of my teammates, the ones that aren’t dressed, not to be here,'” McLellan said after the Red Wings’ 2-0 loss. “So we went out as a team.”
McLellan continued: “Obviously he has to live with the consequences of a trade request. It’s not comfortable for anyone. I feel bad for him, I do.”
Larkin’s trade request wasn’t the only point of contention from Red Wings fans, who were already leading cries against team ownership when they trailed by one goal early in Friday’s loss.
The Red Wings have yet to name a permanent replacement for former general manager Steve Yzerman, who was fired following Larkin’s trade request and whose departure was followed by notable problems with Detroit’s roster.
These include allowing Patrick Kane to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent despite past negotiations with Yzerman, missing the deadline to extend winger Alex DeBrincat’s expiring contract by eight years and seeing restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson leave for Sweden after starting the season without a contract.
“Everyone has the right to express their feelings, and we have to deal with that,” Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider said after the game (with Alex Crescenti of WXYZ Detroit). “I thought we handled it pretty well.”
Larkin, who signed for the 2030-31 season with a full no-trade clause through the 2027-28 campaign, reportedly gave the Red Wings a limited list of teams to which he would be willing to accept a trade.
THE Detroit Free PressHelene St. James initially reported that this list included the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Friday that Larkin has since expanded his list to “about eight” teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Detroit fans are hoping that interim general manager Shawn Horcoff, or whomever the team eventually names as Yzerman’s permanent replacement, will be able to resolve the impasse with Larkin or find an acceptable deal that will allow the Red Wings to replace their top center despite their current lack of negotiating leverage.
Gn sports
