Red Wings fans boo Dylan Larkin in return from injury

To the surprise of no one, Dylan Larkin still isn’t in the good graces of Detroit Red Wings fans just because he’s still playing.

As the Red Wings are in search of their first win of the regular season on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, the American center got boos immediately as he touched the puck, and it continued throughout the night, as Red Wings fans showed their displeasure towards the former captain.

Larkin had missed the first two games of the season due to an upper-body injury, but didn’t dodge the boo birds in that environment either, as he was booed during the Red Wings’ opening ceremony when introduced as a healthy scratch.

The booing comes in the wake of Larkin requesting a trade during the offseason. He requested a trade back on June 4th, and while a search for a new general manager has likely stalled any attempts to move on from the long-time Wing, he has also limited the options for the team to move him to.

However, the GM search is a driving factor for the delay, as it has put the franchise in a limbo period as they search for a replacement. Steve Yzerman stepped down from the role on July 15th, and have yet to hire one. Shawn Horcoff was named interim GM on September 15th, indicating the team is open to making moves until finding a permanent replacement, but as of now, it hasn’t sped things up for either notable roster issues for the Red Wings.

The other player issue of note is that of defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who has entered the season without a contract as a restricted free agent. The two parties were far apart before Yzerman stepped down from the role, but considering the situation, Edvinsson showed up to training camp in good faith while working on a deal. However, those further talks didn’t help the situation, as he has since returned home to Sweden and requested a trade from the team.