Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin Suffers Upper-Body Injury

An Olympic gold medalist at the 2026 games in Milano-Cortina, Larkin is one of several of his Olympic teammates who have sought to switch teams since winning gold in Italy. Teammate Brady Tkachuk made it clear to the Ottawa Senators that he did not see a long-term future with the club he captained, and Ottawa sent him to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster trade.

Star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has made a public trade request from his team, the Winnipeg Jets. But, like Detroit, the Jets have not found a trade for Hellebuyck that has enticed them enough to finalize a deal.

Yesterday, we covered reports suggesting that Hellebuyck would not report to Jets training camp as he waits for the club to fulfill the trade request he initially made earlier this summer. It has not been reported that Larkin would do the same, rather it has been generally expected that he would report to, and participate in, Red Wings camp. He’ll do so, but this new injury will keep him off the ice for the time being.

Like Hellebuyck, Larkin is one of the top players said to be available on the trade market. The 30-year-old has been widely considered either a low-end No. 1 center or high-end No. 2 center for the bulk of his NHL career, dating back to his 2017-18 breakout season that saw him produce 63 points. He has since cleared the 70-point plateau three times, and scored 34 goals and 67 points last season.

Larkin’s play drew some criticism from Red Wings fans late in the 2025-26 season, as the Red Wings experienced a relatively sudden downturn in form and ended up losing their grip on a playoff berth that had seemed all but certain earlier in the campaign.

Larkin himself hasn’t skated in a playoff game since he was a rookie in 2015-16, and has been a top player in Detroit throughout its league-leading playoff drought. The Red Wings are under immense pressure to end that drought come springtime, but it appears they’ll need to do so without their top center and former captain.