What kind of ovation would Dylan Larkin get if he hasn’t been traded and skates in the Detroit Red Wings’ first preseason game at home against the Buffalo Sabres on Sept. 24, 2026?
The NHL analysts on Toronto TSN’s “Overdrive” think Larkin is in for a rude awakening after requesting a trade nearly a month ago.
“I think fans will turn on Larkin and crush him,” host Bryan Hayes said before the NHL Draft on Friday.
“I can tell you, Dylan Larkin, I don’t see him playing in Detroit again. I don’t think you can get that back because I think they take it even more personally there because he’s from Michigan. He’s the captain.
“And they’re like, where do you think you’re going? I’m guessing Red Wing fans aren’t ecstatic with management, ownership, etc. It’s been a long time since they’ve been in the playoffs.”
Former NHLer Jeff “O-Dog” O’Neill was even more emphatic.
“That fan base would go nuts if that guy (Larkin) skated out there for an exhibition game warm-up,” said O’Neill, a former Carolina Hurricanes forward who scored a goal against the Red Wings in the 2002 Stanley Cup final in Game 5.
“I agree,” Hayes said. “It’s a gritty, blue-collar kind of town. They’ll say, ‘Oh really, you’re going to turn on Detroit?’ Here, come get out of town. I don’t see how Larkin can do that.”
The other NHL player on the show, Jamie “Noodles” McLennan, agreed with Hayes and O’Neill.
“I think it’s a great point about Dylan Larkin,” said McLennan, a former Calgary Flames goaltender who was suspended five games for slashing Detroit’s Johan Franzen in the 2007 playoffs.
“That’s a public trade request from your hometown and you’re the captain. Like, that one is, you can’t unring that bell. No, that’s done. I agree.”
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wings fans ‘will turn on Larkin’ if he skates in preseason: NHL analysts
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
