Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Dylan Larkin remains out, and Todd McLellan still has no new return date for the Red Wings captain.
That was the message Monday after McLellan said nothing has changed on Detroit’s injury timeline. Larkin and Andrew Copp will be reassessed at the end of next week.
For Detroit, that matters more than any single boxscore right now. Larkin drives the middle of the ice, sets the pace, and handles the matchup work that usually lands on a No. 1 center.
McLellan didn’t leave much room for optimism in the short term. The update was steady, not encouraging, and that keeps Larkin off the board for now.
“RedWings McLellan said nothing’s changed with injuries timeline: Copp and Larkin will be reassessed at the end of next week, Rasmussen out another week, MBN is day to day.”
Detroit is 36-23-8 through 67 games. That’s still a competitive spot, but it’s not the kind of cushion that lets a team cruise through a captain’s absence.
The Red Wings have 80 points, and every missed game from Larkin keeps the pressure on the room. One more flat stretch can change the entire feel of the playoff race.
Their most recent result in the standings file was a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. That kind of night only sharpens the focus on who is missing from the lineup.
Detroit still needs its captain back
The bigger issue is the margin. Detroit has scored 193 goals, which tells you this team has had to grind for offense instead of living off wide-open nights.
The goal differential sits at -5. That number says the same thing McLellan’s injury update says in a different way: there isn’t much room for error.
It’s not just Larkin either. Copp is on the same reassessment schedule, Michael Rasmussen is out another week, and MBN is listed day-to-day.
That creates a real squeeze down the middle and on the bench. McLellan can patch holes for a night or two, but replacing Larkin’s minutes and tone is a different job.
This is why Detroit fans were locked onto Monday’s update. A reassessment next week is better than bad news, but it still leaves the club stuck in wait-and-see mode.
Until Larkin is cleared, the Red Wings are playing without their captain, their pace-setter, and one of the few forwards who can settle a game when it starts to drift.
That’s the story here, and it’s not changing yet.
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Red Wings still waiting after Dylan Larkin update
Can the Detroit Red Wings stay in the playoff race without Dylan Larkin until next week ?