Red Wings’ Breakup With Dylan Larkin Has Turned Personal

Dylan Larkin grew up in Waterford, Michigan, spent his entire NHL career in Detroit, and wore the “C” until the club took it away in September. He then told the team he would no longer play, and the Red Wings answered with a suspension without pay on Oct. 29. Few breakups between a franchise and its homegrown captain move that quickly from loyalty to open conflict.

Friedman has also said the list nearly changed. He reported on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast that Larkin had considered altering it before deciding against it. That near-move and its reversal say a lot about how firmly both sides are holding their ground.

The Red Wings Have Already Moved On

The club’s actions away from the ice point in the same direction. The former captain’s banner outside Little Caesars Arena has been taken down, and his cardboard likenesses on the captains’ bench display have been replaced with the Russian Five, according to Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now, who added that the team store no longer carries any of his merchandise.

The Red Wings haven’t explained those changes publicly, and there could be practical reasons behind them. Still, taken together, they send a clear message. The franchise is not planning around a reunion.

The crowd has reacted, too. Some fans wore bags over their heads at the Nov. 5 home game against Vegas, and supporters interviewed outside the arena were split on who deserves the blame, as FOX 2 Detroit reported. That kind of public divide only raises the temperature inside the building.

Larkin’s Camp Has Dug In as Well

Larkin’s side hasn’t softened either. His camp, led by agent Pat Brisson, has made its frustration public since the day of the suspension and has refused Detroit’s requests to add more teams to the 10-club list, a stance we broke down when we wrote that the Red Wings have one card left to play.

That position is costing him. The suspension takes $41,237.11 off his salary for every day he sits, according to TSN’s Nov. 4 report, and that figure adds up quickly over a suspension now nearly two weeks old. A player willing to give up that much money is sending a message of his own.

Why a Personal Fight Makes a Larkin Trade Harder

When a negotiation turns personal, the usual pressure points stop working the same way. Detroit doesn’t want to look like it rewarded a player who walked away, and Larkin doesn’t want to open his list to teams he never chose. Each side can make a reasonable case, and neither wants to be the one that blinks first.

That is a problem for a club that is also trying to win games. The Red Wings have dropped three straight and scored three goals in that stretch, a slide we examined when we wrote that the standoff is starting to cost Detroit. Pride can keep a standoff going, but it doesn’t help a team that needs NHL-ready help.

St. Louis Joins the Line Outside Larkin’s List

Friedman’s comments also added a new name to the market. “I’ve heard St. Louis wants to get on it,” he said on NHL Tonight, placing the Blues alongside Buffalo, Montreal, Los Angeles, and Boston as teams outside the list that would like a shot.

The timing is notable. Detroit plays in St. Louis on Tuesday night as part of its current road trip, putting the Red Wings in the building of another club that can’t make a deal unless Larkin changes his mind. Buffalo is already in that position, as our look at how the list stopped a big Sabres bid showed.

How Detroit Should Handle a Personal Standoff

The best thing interim general manager Shawn Horcoff can do is keep the business side separate from the personal one. The club doesn’t need to win the standoff. It needs to win the trade.

That means staying patient on price, keeping every outside suitor warm, and continuing to develop internal options like Emmitt Finnie down the middle. If Larkin eventually adds a team like St. Louis or Buffalo, Detroit should be ready to move fast. If he doesn’t, the Red Wings still have to find a deal that works with the 10 teams he approved.

Either way, Friedman’s read is hard to argue with. This has become personal for both sides, and the team that handles that best will likely come out of it with the better result.