Dylan Larkin is officially off Detroit's active roster, giving Todd McLellan another major lineup issue to handle before Friday's game.
The Red Wings placed Larkin on non-roster injured reserve Friday because of an upper-body injury, formally removing their top center from the active group.
It's a procedural roster move, not a trade or contract termination. But the designation makes Larkin's absence official after he missed Detroit's first 2 regular-season games.
Larkin has yet to play this season, and his current injury status lists him as day-to-day with an expected absence lasting until at least October 6.
That leaves McLellan moving forward without a player who has been at the center of Detroit's attack for years. There's no immediate return to the lineup attached to Friday's transaction.
"UPDATE: The Detroit #RedWings have activated Andreas Englund from immigration non-roster and have placed Dylan Larkin on IR retroactive to August 15th."
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And this isn't a depth player disappearing from the roster. Larkin has produced 276 goals and 367 assists over 808 regular-season games with Detroit.
Detroit makes Larkin's absence official
The timing makes the move stand out. Detroit has gone from waiting on Larkin's health to formally carrying on without him on the active roster.
His non-roster designation also creates a clear separation between the lineup McLellan has available now and the one Detroit expected to have with Larkin in the middle.
Larkin remains under contract with the Red Wings through the 2030-31 season at an $8,700,000 cap hit, so Friday's move doesn't change his long-term contractual status.
Still, the optics are impossible to miss. A player who has been one of Detroit's defining names is now officially outside the active roster while questions surrounding his immediate future continue.
Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings haven't completed a trade here. They've completed the roster transaction needed to account for Larkin's ongoing absence.
For McLellan, the consequence is much more immediate: Detroit has to set its forward group, special teams and center rotation without expecting Larkin back for Friday's matchup.
Until Larkin is cleared and his roster status changes again, Detroit is moving forward without No. 71. That makes Friday's paperwork much more meaningful than a routine transaction.
Have the Red Wings reached the point where a Dylan Larkin trade feels inevitable?
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