Dylan Larkin Set To Make Red Wings Season Debut

Pending clearance from doctors, former captain Dylan Larkin is expected to make his season debut for the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 6 against the Ottawa Senators.

Red Wings Head Coach Todd McLellan informed the media on the morning of play against Ottawa that Larkin is expected to take to the lineup, pending clearance from doctors. This development comes after Larkin was originally placed on injured reserve retroactive to Aug. 15.

The 30-year-old center sustained an upper-body injury prior to Training Camp during offseason training, which has kept him out of game action until this point. Larkin was also heavily booed upon being introduced with the other Detroit scratched players at the Little Caesar's Arena season opener.

Todd McLellan tells Detroit reporters that Dylan Larkin will play tonight, pending clearance from doctors 👀

After a summer involving his trade request going public and subsequently no longer being the captain of the team, Larkin is looking to make his season debut tonight vs… pic.twitter.com/lx7qOzJL0o
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 6, 2026

The booing for Larkin follows his heavily publicized trade request. Larkin — a Michigan native — requested a trade away from Detroit following the 2025-26 season and his participation in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

A trade has not yet come to fruition; Larkin was originally drafted by the Red Wings at No. 15 overall in 2014, after growing up in the state and also playing collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan.

His trade request resulted in him being stripped of his captaincy and Larkin's photo also being removed from the captains' photo bench within Little Caesars Arena.

Without Larkin in the lineup, Detroit has struggled offensively (only scoring two goals on the year so far) with the Red Wings losing their first two games of the year — a 2-0 season opening loss to the New York Rangers which was followed up with a 3-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets.

Larkin Likely Seeing Season Debut Against Ottawa Senators

NHL.com notes that it is more likely than not that Larkin will be on the ice against the Senators.

"It looks that way right now," McLellan said via the same NHL.com story. "He’s got one more hurdle to cross. Still on [injured reserve]. So the doctor will look at him here, and if he’s clear, he’s playing, and if he isn’t, then he won’t."

At morning skate, Larkin centered a line with right wing Viktor Arvidsson and left wing Lucas Raymond.

Raymond said he is looking forward to seeing Larkin in the lineup.

“Dylan’s a hell of a player, and he’s a huge part of our team,” Raymond said. “Really excited to see him out there tonight.”

Larkin remains Detroit's No. 1 center — the franchise is down two centers with Marco Kasper being week to week and J.T. Compher listed as day to day due to injuries.

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

McLellan did note that there is extra pressure for a strong performance from Larkin given the ongoing situation.

"The players, I think, have said to you they believe we’re a better team with Dylan Larkin in the lineup, and I can’t argue with that, so we’ll be excited about getting him back in there," McLellan also said. "We expect his best every shift. And let’s face it: We’ve had a tough time scoring so far this season, and Dylan’s been able to provide offense for a number of years, so that should help us."

Larkin's debut is expected following him setting an NHL career high of 34 goals last season. The center currently sits with 643 career points (276 goals, 367 assists) across 808 games played.

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