Dylan Larkin will miss Red Wings’ first two games with upper-body injury

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Detroit Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin will miss the Red Wings’ first two games of the 2026–27 season because of an upper-body injury, coach Todd McLellan said Thursday, setting an early timeline that includes a potential return for the home game against the Ottawa Senators.

McLellan said Larkin is out for Detroit’s opening matchup against the New York Rangers on Friday, and for the following home game against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. The Red Wings hope he will return against Ottawa at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday.

In McLellan’s update, he said Larkin is working with the team’s training staff to regain readiness for game action. McLellan also indicated the current expectation is to have Larkin back for “Game 3.”

Larkin, Detroit’s No. 1 centre, entered the season with an offseason injury that prevented him from participating at first in training camp. The team said he sustained the upper-body issue while working out during offseason training, and he was not able to immediately take part when camp began.

Larkin previously described the injury timeline in a statement dated Sept. 17, the first day of training camp. He said he was hurt while working out in the gym and that he was pushing to get healthy with the goal of playing, adding that the timing was “very unfortunate.”

According to the team’s session details provided in the league release, Larkin went through some drills during Thursday’s activities but did not take line rushes in practice. That distinction suggests he was limited relative to full contact or full-squad preparation at that point in the week.

Larkin, 30, has been a central part of Detroit’s offence for multiple seasons. The NHL.com release states he ranks 10th in Detroit history with 643 points (276 goals, 367 assists) in 808 games, and that he produced 67 points (34 goals, 33 assists) in 74 games last season.

The release also notes contract details and team commitments. Larkin signed an eight-year contract worth $69.6 million with the Red Wings on March 2, 2023, which the team said carries an annual average value of $8.7 million.

McLellan addressed the situation from a team perspective in his Sept. 17 comments included with the league update. He said Larkin had made a commitment to the team by signing his contract and that the organization made a commitment to him as well, framing the current stage as an opportunity to play while he works back.

The NHL update also referenced Larkin’s offseason context: it states Larkin requested a trade after last season and lost the captaincy heading into the current season, though he reported to training camp despite the upper-body injury.

For fans planning the next stretch of Detroit’s schedule, the league’s reported target is a potential return against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena, after Larkin’s confirmed absence from the first two games against the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets.

The announcement is based on the team’s head coach’s injury status update delivered Thursday, and it means Detroit will begin the season without its top-centre while continuing to evaluate Larkin’s readiness through the early games of the schedule.