Monday afternoon, the Detroit Red Wings announced that Dylan Larkin had undergone successful core surgery and that he will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
The expected recovery time is 8-10 weeks, which will give Larkin plenty of time to get back into a regular training regimen to prepare for the next season. Over the past month and a half, Larkin had been missing a lot of practices, and they were labeled as maintenance days by Jeff Blashill. It’s clear now what was hindering Larkin down the stretch, and at this point in the season, he should prepare both mentally and physically for next season.
Larkin has been the engine for this young Red Wings team, as he currently leads all players in goals and points with 31 and 69 in 71 games played. Given a full season, it would have been likely that Larkin would have eclipsed his previous career bests in both categories.
This season, the 25-year-old captain has also been critical to the success of his two linemates, Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond. Given that Larkin also made his NHL debut at 19, like Lucas Raymond, he has been the perfect mentor for the young hopeful franchise winger.
This season should be viewed as a successful season personally for Dylan Larkin, as he was able to bounce back from a down season and neck injury and play to the level he did. There was also some question in this past off-season on whether or not Larkin was a true number one center in the NHL, and I think Larkin answered that this season.
