Dylan Larkin told the Detroit Red Wings through agent Pat Brisson on Thursday that he would not play for them again until he is traded, and the club responded by suspending its former captain without pay.
Larkin had dressed for 10 of the Red Wings’ first 12 games, recorded 2 goals and 6 points, and scored the late tying goal in Monday’s 4-3 shootout win at Edmonton before deciding he had waited long enough.
“Dylan’s had enough of the situation. We believe he’s been very professional and cooperative through this process,” Brisson said in a statement.
Toronto-based sports talk show host Sid Seixeiro launched a scathing attack on Larkin, belittling the 30-year-old center for refusing to play for the Hockeytown franchise till he is traded.
“… You are seeing an overrated center who never goes to the playoffs … In what world do you want that a*shat in your room? He is a loser, he is begging the best organizations in the league to bring him on, no one is willing to do it at a price. This guy is a nobody and he is demanding entry into the best dressing rooms in the league. This guy has the IQ of a coffee mug. Any team that picks up Dylan Larkin will never win the Stanley Cup, you’re barely getting into the playoffs. He can’t spell playoffs, and he is demanding the world to come to him?”, said Seixeiro on his show.
Dylan Larkin is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $69.6 million extension signed in March 2023. It carries an $8.7 million cap hit, five years remaining including this one, and a full no-trade clause that gives his approved list all the leverage.
Also read: Moritz Seider, Red Wings locker room open up on Dylan Larkin’s refusal to play for Detroit anymore
Dylan Larkin’s approved 10-team list is “difficult” to trade with, admits interim Red Wings GM
After initially having 3 teams on his list, Dylan Larkin expanded to 10 teams, all of them being US-based: the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals. The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres are reportedly interested but not on Larkin’s approved list.
“With the teams that Dylan has on his list, it’s difficult to get something done,” Horcoff said Thursday. “There’s significant challenges when you’re trying to put a salary like Dylan’s into your team.”
Horcoff, the interim GM since mid-September, said he has called every team on the list and taken calls from others. Sitting out, he made clear, will not speed up a deal.
“How long it takes, I’m not sure, but I’m prepared to wait as long as it takes to make sure that the return is something good for the Red Wings overall,” he said.
Dylan Larkin forfeits $41,237.11 for every day the suspension runs. The Red Wings beat Chicago 4-1 without him Thursday behind Viktor Arvidsson’s hat trick and host St. Louis on Saturday.
Edited by Srihari Anand
