Coach Derek Lalonde announced on Monday that Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin will be out for around two weeks due to a lower-body injury.
Larkin departed the game late in the Red Wings’ 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday, and the team will now be without him at a critical point in the season.
Larkin is Detroit’s first-line center and best scorer, with 54 points in 55 games this season. His most recent absence, in mid-December, coincided with the team’s worst stretch of the season — first losing four of five games without him (including the game in which he was knocked unconscious against Ottawa), followed by a frustrating December as he and the team worked their way back into form.
The Red Wings recovered from that rough month, putting up great performances in January and February, and currently have a six-point lead in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. However, they have dropped two consecutive games and will go on a road trip this week that will include stops in Colorado and Vegas, the previous two Stanley Cup champions.
“He’s a driver for us,” Lalonde explained. “These are the hurdles; if you want to stay in that battle and cross that (playoff) line, you have to fight through some of these things. And this is our opportunity throughout our road trip.”
What Larkin Means to the Red Wings
The simplest way to describe it would be: as much as a player can provide to his team. He is their engine, leading goal scorer, plays on both special teams, and sets the tone for the entire team with his drive.
He consistently scores and sets up big goals, and his line, which includes Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, is their most dangerous. And, maybe most significantly, he properly positions the rest of their lineup. This season, Detroit has worked hard to expand its lineup, but without Larkin at the top, it puts a lot of pressure on the Red Wings’ centers to produce winnable matchups against opponents.
Who can take on Larkin’s role?
Joe Veleno appears to have the first crack at it, as he skated between DeBrincat and Kane during Monday’s practice. The Red Wings believe Kane and DeBrincat perform best when paired with a speedy center, and while Veleno lacks Larkin’s offensive track record, he can match the speed and puck-transporting skills while also using his size to win battles down low. The 24-year-old forward is having the finest season of his young career so far, with 26 points in 59 games, and playing alongside two of Detroit’s most exciting players provides him with an excellent opportunity to expand on that.
