Larkin return will be additional chaos for Red Wings

It has been a tumultuous few months for the Detroit Red Wings, who now own the longest active playoff drought in the NHL after the Buffalo Sabres qualified for the postseason last year.

Longtime captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade, and one has not been worked out by either previous general manager Steve Yzerman or the interim front office in place since Yzerman’s departure. Larkin was stripped of the captaincy and has been dealing with an injury, but he could return to the Red Wings’ lineup as soon as Tuesday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators.

Larkin was loudly booed by the fans in Detroit when he was introduced alongside the other scratches ahead of the team’s home opener, but sitting at 0-2-0, the Wings need some sort of jolt if they’re going to have any chance of getting this season turned around.

On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed Larkin’s impending return to the lineup and whether or not it will only continue to derail what already looks like a disastrous season in the Motor City.

Tyler Yaremchuk: The other one that just popped up right before our show, Dylan Larkin skating on the top line for the Detroit Red Wings, so it sounds like he could make his season debut tonight. Red Wings fans kind of got their first crack at him if you will during their home opener last week, and they, to put it bluntly, booed the shit out of him. So the fact that he’s going to be back on the ice tonight and playing in a home game, Hutts, that is going to make for some interesting theater.

Carter Hutton: Yeah, I think that is one to keep an eye on that game tonight. Especially with the fact that Ottawa is on a back-to-back, Ullmark’s going to be out… Larkin back in the lineup. There’s a lot of storylines going into that game, and I think the instant reaction for the majority of the hockey world is going to be, what happens when Dylan Larkin gets the puck on his stick? Is it going to be that boo birds treatment you hear a lot of players get? Getting it at home, wearing the team’s jersey while you’re still on the squad is a unique situation for the NHL.

Tyler Yaremchuk: That just makes it so weird when it’s the home team. Even if you’re another forward, if you’re playing on a line with Dylan Larkin, that’s got to be a little distracting if every time your centerman touches the puck the crowd is raining down the boos?

Carter Hutton: Yeah, I think it’s something you have to block out. I think it will be more overwhelming at the start as the game goes… But as a pro, once you’re in the game, you’re just playing hockey. Things are happening so fast that you don’t really know the crowd. But the buildup to this one, it’s going to be important… For Dylan Larkin… there’s got to be a lot of thoughts and a lot of emotions running through his head. It’s not like this is just like a little short stint. He’s been the face of the Red Wings for a lot of years. I’m sure it still means a lot to him; this is a very unique situation tonight.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…