Dylan Larkin shouldn't be stripped of Red Wings' captaincy: Analyst

It's been almost assumed that Dylan Larkin will be stripped of the Detroit Red Wings ' captaincy this month because of his trade request at the end of last season.

The Athletic's Shayna Goldman sees another possible outcome with training camp two weeks away and a new general manager still to be named.

On Jeff Marek's podcast, "The Sheet," Goldman said Larkin's desire to win shouldn't automatically erase his leadership status or his history as the face of the franchise.

"Is Larkin part of the problem this year? Sure, but the situation just became untenable, and you want to pass forward," Goldman said on the podcast. "I almost feel like you take away the C, you're vilifying him even more."

The Red Wings went two seasons without a captain before naming Larkin the 37th captain in franchise history in 2021.

Goldman said the new GM may mend fences and keep Larkin as captain until the issue is resolved.

"I don't think any situation can't be remedied," Goldman said. "We've seen weird things happen over the years, and I think the fact that Yzerman's gone is going to open the door to this.

"Many fans are going to vilify Larkin, but there's a very simple argument of saying, the frustration was so built up from year after year, our team was not positioned to succeed.

"Yes, we could have done more down the stretch to avoid collapsing in March, but we never got the reinforcements we needed. And it wasn't just at the deadline. It was in the off-seasons too."

During the last three collapses in March and April, Larkin was injured at various times but still recorded nearly a point per game with 19 goals, 26 assists for 45 points and a -11 plus/minus rating in 50 games.

At the end of the 2025 season and after missing the playoffs for a ninth straight year, Larkin said "we didn't gain any momentum from the trade deadline," and "it would have been nice to add something and bring a little bit of a spark on the ice."

"There was no collaboration," Goldman said. "It was a frosty front office, and everyone saw it, right? Dylan Larkin gets his extension, but also (Tyler) Bertuzzi's traded, and the rug's pulled out from under them, and also you're not contending anymore. Sorry, all the progress you did, whatever.

"And then it's like they finally make a move, and it just felt like they were throwing a band-aid on a situation that needed a lot more than that, and it was work that should have been done ahead of time."