Red Wings Make Major Announcement Regarding Dylan Larkin

Dylan Larkin has been the captain of the Detroit Red Wings for several years, but after a trade request this summer, he will no longer wear the C in Detroit.

Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This off-season has been chaotic and confusing for the Detroit Red Wings, and with training camp just days away, the team still has plenty of business to attend to. Whether that's hiring a new General Manager, dealing with Dylan Larkin's trade request, or getting Simon Edvinsson a new contract, there's plenty of work to do, putting plenty of pressure on the person hired to replace Steve Yzerman.

As of now, however, it appears the team isn't rushing into the process of naming their next GM, as the new season is now just three weeks away and they have made very few public announcements about how things are playing out thus far.

Now, though, we've finally heard from the Red Wings about some key talking points this off-season, as the team took to social media to announce a major decision on Larkin, who has remained steadfast in his trade request.

Dylan Larkin Stripped of Red Wings Captaincy

Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the surface, having your captain maintain a trade request all summer heading into training camp isn't a good look, and with no trade imminent, that could have created plenty of tension as players get back together ahead of the new season.

The Red Wings have taken a significant step to ease the existing tension by officially announcing that Larkin has been stripped of his captaincy. The team stated that any further discussions regarding the leadership group will take place once the new front office is established.

Statements from Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings. pic.twitter.com/P2sZjqp9Iz

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 11, 2026

Clearly, this was the only way forward for Detroit, as it's a very bad look for a team to have their captain maintain a trade request while he's on the ice at training camp, with the team also stating that Larkin will be at camp. Discussions of his trade request will continue to be held privately with the new front office.

Will Dylan Larkin Begin the New Season in Detroit?

Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the release, Larkin also states that things will be kept private, but even as of recent updates, it was revealed that he still wants to be dealt to Minnesota, Vegas, or Florida, of which only one team has shown genuine interest in the Team USA international representatives.

Obviously, this entire saga was leaning towards Larkin being stripped of the Red Wings captaincy, and while it's not guaranteed that the new ownership group will grant his trade request and deal him to one of his preferred teams, things right now seem to be pointing in the direction of this relationship finally coming to an end.

For now, though, we won't truly know anything until the Red Wings put some new people in place in their front office, meaning that Larkin, the rest of the team and the fan base are once again being asked to wait patiently before big decisions are made.