After complicated offseason, Red Wings' Dylan Larkin lands on IR

Ahead of their first game of the 2026-27 season, the Detroit Red Wings announced two roster moves. The Red Wings placed center Dylan Larkin on injured reserve and activated defenseman Andreas Englund from the immigration non-roster list.

Although the update is noteworthy since it includes the most openly disgruntled forward on Detroit’s roster, it was mostly a formality. On Thursday, head coach Todd McLellan shared with Max Bultman of The Athletic that the Red Wings would be without Larkin for the first two games of the regular season. Because Larkin’s IR placement is retroactive to August 15th, Detroit can activate him at any time.

Regardless, when Larkin is activated from the injured reserve, as awkward as it may be, the Red Wings will likely demote a defenseman to open up the necessary space. Detroit has 13 forwards and eight defensemen rostered after this transaction, and with two rookies on the blue line, Detroit would be better served sending one of them to Grand Rapids for more consistent playing time.

Meanwhile, Englund now has the opportunity to play for his sixth NHL organization. The Red Wings selected Englund off waivers from the Calgary Flames last week.

Largely an AHL talent last season, the 30-year-old Swede finished the 2025-26 campaign with three goals and 13 points in 52 games for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Additionally, Englund went scoreless in three games for the Nashville Predators. He signed a one-year, $900K contract with the Flames on the opening day of free agency this past summer, though he obviously won’t enjoy that deal with the team he intended to play for.