Dylan Larkin loudly booed prior to Red Wings' home opener

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dylan Larkin loudly booed prior to Red Wings' home opener amid brutal situation

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 2, 2026 7:26 PM ET

If you were wondering whether or not Detroit Red Wings fans would ever welcome back their former captain, Dylan Larkin, following his offseason trade request, they gave you a very loud and resounding answer on Friday night prior to their season opener against the New York Rangers.

That answer is no.

Red Wings' Dylan Larkin loudly booed before team's home opener

Larkin is still a member of the Red Wings following his offseason trade request, but he is going to miss at least the first two games of the season due to an injury he reportedly suffered during training leading up to the season.

When he was introduced on Friday night as part of the team's scratches for the night, Red Wings fans unleashed a fury of boos that cascaded down from the stands.

Larkin gave an awkward wave before quickly walking down the tunnel.

Red Wings fans booed Dylan Larkin during pregame introductions pic.twitter.com/XpLgk7zODn
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 2, 2026

Message officially sent. Also apparently received.

This is a brutal situation for everybody involved, and just one of the awkward storylines playing out for the Red Wings as the 2026-27 season begins.

A quick rundown:

The Red Wings are working on a 10-year playoff drought that is the longest current drought in the league. It continued after an almost impossible late-season meltdown over the final month-and-a-half of the 2025-26 regular season.
Larkin, the team's longest-tenured player and longtime former captain, has requested a trade. Nobody knows if it is still an active request, because he refuses to discuss it.
Young defenseman Simon Edvinsson, one of the team's most important players, remains unsigned as a restricted free agent and is currently training in Sweden.
None of those issues can be solved because the team does not have a full-time general manager after Steve Yzerman was removed from the role in July. There seems to be little movement on finding one, while Shawn Horcoff runs the day-to-day business on an interim basis.

It is ugly.

It will probably only get uglier when Larkin actually plays a game.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

More must-reads: