Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing core muscle surgery, the team announced Monday. His recovery timeline is expected to be between eight and 10 weeks.
Larkin, 25, played 71 games this season before surgery, scoring 31 goals and tallying 69 points.
In 504 career games, all with the Red Wings, Larkin has 147 goals and 358 career points. His 2020-21 season also ended early due to a neck injury.
(Photo: Dave Reginek / NHLI via Getty Images)
Any long-term concerns about his health, given his history?
Max Bultman, Red Wings beat writer: The two injuries are different, but certainly it's not ideal for Detroit to have its captain end two consecutive seasons prematurely. The encouraging aspect, though, is in the eight- to 10-week expected recovery timeline, which gives him plenty of buffer before the start of training camp next September.
A healthy Larkin is essential to any ambitions the Red Wings have for taking the next step.
Grading Larkin's season
Bultman: I think you have to give him a solid "A." Coming off a down year and then a neck injury last season, Detroit's captain was a difference-maker all season. He likely would have hit career highs in both goals and points had he played out the final six games, and was the tone-setting engine for the team through the year.
His will to battle showed through even as Detroit's season turned from hopeful early on to dreary over the last two months. Even in his final game of the season — a 6-1 loss to the Panthers — Larkin was the source of many of Detroit's offensive chances. He re-affirmed his standing as a legit No. 1 center.
