Red Wings give major Dylan Larkin clue ahead of Senators matchup

Dylan Larkin is on the verge of his first game of the 2026-27 season.

The Detroit Red Wings center is expected to make his season debut tonight at Little Caesars Arena against the Ottawa Senators, and what happened at the morning skate backs that up.

Larkin skated on a line with Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson during the session, a strong sign that head coach Todd McLellan has him slotted into the lineup.

He has been sidelined by an upper-body injury he picked up in offseason training.

It kept him out of every preseason game, the season opener against the Rangers on Friday, and Sunday's matchup with the Jets.

McLellan has pointed to this Ottawa game as the target all along.

This is not a routine return. Larkin asked for a trade after last season and lost the captaincy heading into this year, yet he still reported to camp.

Now the focus shifts to how he plays once he is back on the ice with this group.

Production has not been the issue for the club's top center.

He put up 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games last season, and he remains under contract on the eight-year, $69.6 million deal he signed in 2023.

Putting Larkin next to Raymond and Arvidsson gives Detroit real punch.

Arvidsson signed in July on a two-year, $10 million deal after scoring 25 goals for Boston last season, and McLellan coached him before in Los Angeles.

Detroit holds the longest playoff drought in the NHL, so early points carry weight, and getting its top center back is a good place to start.

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