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Larkin’s Suspension Is Already Reshaping the Red Wings
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- Larkin’s Suspension Is Already Reshaping the Red Wings
The identity of the Detroit Red Wings for the past several years has revolved around Dylan Larkin leading the team at center, on the ice and in the locker room. Those days are over, as Larkin has more than likely pulled on a Detroit Red Wings sweater for the last time. He is suspended without pay after telling the team he no longer wanted to play for Detroit , and Emmitt Finnie, among other players, has stepped up to fill that hole. For far too long, when Larkin got injured, the Red Wings crumbled. That identity should leave with Larkin, and a new one should be born. I believe the Dylan Larkin suspension can be looked at as a positive for this team going forward.
When Larkin Goes Down, So Does Our Record
Regardless of how you feel about Dylan Larkin and the situation surrounding him, he is an amazing player and a first-line center. His 200-foot game is textbook and a coach's dream, and he made the players around him better.
Mar 28, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Luke Glendening (41) and Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) gets set to face off in the second period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
There is no doubt that the Red Wings were a better team with Larkin on it, but before he requested a trade, how the team played when Larkin was injured was a scary thing. Between the 2021-22 and 2025-26 seasons, the Detroit Red Wings went 12-21-2 when Larkin wasn't in the lineup, with a minus-39 goal differential . Now that Larkin is probably finished playing as a Red Wing, we need to learn how to play without him, and I believe we have already begun this transition.
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Moritz Seider Is Already Acting Like the Captain
I believe that Moritz Seider is showing why he should be the next captain of the Detroit Red Wings . Seider is a force on the ice, playing the important minutes and lining up against the opponent's best players when they are pushing to score. Just look back at Detroit's 4-3 shootout win over Edmonton on Oct. 26 , where Seider shadowed Connor McDavid and took away chance after chance.
Seider is not just a leader on the ice but in the locker room as well. He has been on video postgame talking to the team and handing out the "swaggy jacket," which the Red Wings give to their game MVP . On the day Larkin refused to play and the Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 , Mo addressed the room before handing the jacket to Viktor Arvidsson, who had just finished his sixth career hat trick .
"This is us. We're going to do this together."
Emmitt Finnie Has the First-Line Center Job
Along with Seider and Arvidsson, other players have stepped up too. Emmitt Finnie, who came into the league as a winger, is now centering the first line between Alex DeBrincat and Arvidsson , with Andrew Copp taking the second-line job between Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Lucas Raymond. The seventh-round pick has gained confidence among fans and coaches and is showing why he deserves to be up there playing top minutes against the league's best players. Finnie is averaging 18:02 of ice time per game with 10 points through 14 games . He isn't quite getting the ice time Larkin had, 21:41 per game , but I have no doubt he could handle more minutes especially now that he is filling that 1C position.
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What the Dylan Larkin Suspension Does Not Fix
I'm not going to pretend last week settled anything. Two days after the Chicago win, Detroit led St. Louis 4-2 in the third period at Little Caesars Arena and lost 5-4 , giving up three goals in the final period, and Todd McLellan was blunt about it afterward . That is the same thing that happened to this team with Larkin in the lineup, and a new 1C does not fix it by itself. The new identity is two games old, and it already includes one of Detroit's best nights of the season and one of its worst. What has changed is who has to answer for it.
Are We Going to Be Okay Without Larkin?
I think we are going to be fine without our former captain. Detroit has two players who are playing at a point-per-game pace in Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson, who both have 14 points in 14 games played . Alex DeBrincat is above a point-per-game player with 15 points in 14 games played. The Cat leads the team in points and shares the assist lead with Raymond at nine .
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I think the only thing we are missing is officially naming Seider as the captain. He is already doing the job, and he would be more than deserving of the title. Name him captain and let this new identity come into its own, one that won't falter when the team's best player is out of the lineup. I'm not going to get into the morals of suspending a player, but this suspension, I believe, is a great step for this new team. Larkin has to be out of the picture for this team to advance in their new dynamic, and this suspension gives that to them. Imagine having to wait until even the midway mark of the season to take this step forward. They wouldn't have had enough time to really get into their game without Larkin. I'm a glass half full kind of guy, what can I say?
