Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin expected to make season debut against Senators

Dylan Larkin is expected to make his 2026-27 regular-season debut Tuesday when the Detroit Red Wings host the Ottawa Senators.

According to Daily Faceoff’s Brock Seguin, Larkin was taking line rushes with forwards Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson on Tuesday. Head coach Todd McLellan told reporters after practice that he expected Larkin to play.

In 2025-26, Larkin scored 34 goals and added 33 assists for 67 points. Through 11 NHL seasons, the Waterford, Mich., native has 276 goals and 367 assists for 643 points in 808 career regular-season games.

Last week, Red Wing fans booed Larkin when he was introduced in the team’s opening ceremony ahead of their regular-season opener. The response to Larkin’s appearance came after he requested a trade from the team in June. After the game, McLellan said Larkin has to “live with the ramifications of asking for a trade.”

“It’s not comfortable for anybody,” McLellan said. “I feel bad for him. I do.”

The 30-year-old center is under contract with Detroit through the 2030-31 season with a cap hit of $8.7 million. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.

In September, the Red Wings announced Larkin had been stripped of the captaincy after six seasons of wearing the “C.” The team also said any conversations regarding his future with Detroit would be kept private.

Larkin said he and the club had discussions on his future in the offseason that carried into training camp.

“When new leadership is in place, we’ll talk further about the direction of the team,” he said. “We will keep those conversations private, and I will keep my focus on the season ahead and on the guys in that room.”