Red Wings strip Dylan Larkin of captaincy after trade request but say he’ll be at training camp

“When new leadership is in place, we’ll talk further about the direction of the team,” Larkin said in a statement posted by the club on social media. “We’ll keep those conversations private, and I will keep my focus on the season and on the guys in that room.”

Larkin has five seasons left on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed in May 2023. That includes a no-trade clause, and he initially told Detroit he would only accept a move to Florida, Minnesota or Vegas.

Teammate Alex DeBrincat said word emerging of the trade request made things uncomfortable for a bit but did not change what he and others thought about Larkin.

“He’s still a great player,” DeBrincat said Wednesday at the annual NHL/NHLPA preseason player media tour in Las Vegas. “He’s been a great friend and a great teammate to me, and we obviously love him here. That’s kind of for him to answer of what’s next for him, but I think for us, it’s all the same. We’re happy to see him at the rink and happy to get started.”

Larkin has played his entire career in the league with the Red Wings after they selected him with the 15th pick in the 2014 draft and he debuted the following year. He ranks 10th in franchise history in scoring and has played in just five playoff games: a first-round loss to Tampa Bay in 2016.

The Waterford, Michigan, native was an important role player for the U.S. when it won Olympic gold at the Milan-Cortina Games in February.

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Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Red Wings strip Dylan Larkin of captaincy after trade request but say he’ll be at training camp

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