Dylan Larkin was 'really down' after injury, Red Wings' March slide

Dylan Larkin is on the verge of returning to the Detroit Red Wings.

Larkin, the team captain, revealed Tuesday, March 24, what the past few weeks have been like for him.

He suffered a fluke injury March 6 when his right leg buckled awkwardly as he pulled up to take a shot in a game against the Florida Panthers. That left Larkin, 29, on the sidelines near the start of a month that in each of the past two years has seen his franchise collapse en route to missing the playoffs.

“It was very frustrating to hear the noise about this time of the month, or the year, and to have it happen when it did, it was extremely frustrating,” Larkin said after the morning skate at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. “I was really down about it.”

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin skates with the puck in the second period against the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena, March 6, 2026.

Larkin was a game-time decision for Tuesday night’s match against the Ottawa Senators, a game that magnified in importance after the Senators defeated the New York Rangers on Monday to move within a point of the Wings (38-24-8, 84 points). The Wings, 3-3-1 in seven games now without Larkin, slipped out of the second wild-card position coming out of the weekend, when the New York Islanders won to move a point ahead of the Wings.

The standings in the Eastern Conference playoff picture are so snug, positions change daily.

“Down the stretch, we’re not going to get in with 84 points, no one’s getting in the playoffs with 84 points,” Larkin said. “We have to keep winning, and we have to keep getting as many points as we can. Scoreboard watching hasn’t been the most fun thing to do, but it’s the way it’s going this year, and I think it was like this a few years ago. It is what it is. We have to take care of business.

“I’ve sat here and spoke to you guys at this time of the year and said that we have time to take care of what we can control and control our own destiny still. I just hope we can capitalize on some of these chances and not get to the point where our destiny’s not in our control.”

Larkin has 28 goals and 27 assists (55 points) in 63 games this season. He had not missed a game all season before his injury, which has caused him to miss the past seven.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dylan Larkin frustrated during injury layoff with Detroit Red Wings

Dylan Larkin was ‘really down’ after injury, Red Wings’ March slide

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