Larkin had no points and no shots in 18:26 Tuesday in a 3-2 victory in Minnesota. He’s played a lot of hockey – five games in eight nights including the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game – and three of those games went to overtime. But McLellan said that’s not an excuse.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said he understood why he was called out by head coach Todd McLellan after Thursday's loss to Columbus.

COLUMBUS — Detroit Red Wings Captain Dylan Larkin didn’t have a problem with his coach Todd McLellan criticizing his Thursday performance against Columbus because he agreed with his assessment.

Captain Dylan Larkin lamented that the Detroit Red Wings 'just can't find a win' after their fourth straight loss, to Utah on Thursday.

Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan showed he's willing to do the hard things to spur his team to the NHL playoffs by calling out Dylan Larkin.

Dylan Larkin kept harping on it after another Detroit loss. He has been saying the same thing to the rest of the Red Wings during their ongoing skid. "Just find a way to win a hockey game," the captain said. “We just got to get a win, get off the schneid, find a way to win and then continue to find ways to win, not find ways to lose.”

He coughed up pucks and struggled to win them back. He lost battles. He fumbled away a two-on-one in the first period and then fell to the ice.

The Dylan Larkin importance to the Detroit team is such that when he’s not on top of his game the Red Wings are not on top of theirs. “I can’t beat around the bush — he was missing,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said after the Columbus Blue Jackets downed Detroit 5-2 in the first game of their ultra-important home-and-home series.

Detroit Red Wings JT Compher, Moritz Seider & Todd McLellan, Feb. 27, 2025 in Detroit. The Golden State Valkyries discovered very quickly, being the new franchise on the block can be tough. The WNBA offseason has not been very kind to the Connecticut Sun. The team is in a franchise-changing rebuild.

Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan addresses Dylan Larkin’s performance ahead of the crucial Stadium Series game. Discover what McLellan had to say about his captain’s readiness.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin reflects on the team's struggles after a tough loss to Utah Hockey Club in the NHL.