Red Wings reveal why Dylan Larkin missed practice as trade rumors continue
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Dylan Larkin missed Red Wings practice Wednesday, and Detroit has now explained exactly why before Thursday's game against Chicago.
Dylan Larkin wasn't on the ice when the Detroit Red Wings practiced Wednesday morning, and as you'd expect, the internet lost its mind.
With his trade request still hanging over the franchise, an empty spot in the lineup was never going to be treated as routine.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press cleared it up fast.
It was a maintenance day for Larkin.
Head coach Todd McLellan backed that up after practice.
He said Larkin is fully expected to play Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, according to MLive's Ansar Khan.
So no trade, no new injury, and nothing mysterious behind the curtain, at least for today.
Why everyone panicked
It's easy to see why fans jumped to conclusions.
Andrew Copp was placed in the second-line center spot during drills, and only 11 forwards took part.
Add in everything Larkin has been through, and every skipped skate gets put under a microscope.
He asked for a trade in June, a request first reported by Elliotte Friedman.
The team stripped him of the captaincy in September, and an upper-body injury then kept him out of the first two games of the season.
What happens next
A quiet practice doesn't mean a quiet situation, though.
Darren Dreger says Detroit is still doing its homework on teams both on and off Larkin's approved list, including the Bruins and Canadiens.
Elliotte Friedman has also said he believes the Red Wings are getting more serious about making a deal.
For now, Larkin has two goals and six points through 10 games, and the Red Wings face Chicago Thursday.
If number 71 is in the lineup like McLellan expects, this one goes down as a false alarm.
The bigger story still isn't going away.
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