The Detroit Red Wings just caught the worst break imaginable at the worst possible time. Captain Dylan Larkin is officially out at least two weeks with a lower-body injury, head coach Todd McLellan confirmed on Thursday — and he’s not the only one heading to the press box. Andrew Copp is dealing with his own lower-body issue on the same timeline, leaving Detroit’s top-six forward group gutted during the most important stretch of their season.
Larkin, 29, went down during the Red Wings’ 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on March 6 after losing an edge and falling awkwardly in the third period. His right knee buckled on a non-contact play — the kind of sequence that makes everyone in the building hold their breath. Initial reports from GM Steve Yzerman suggested the injury wasn’t structural, but the two-week minimum timeline tells you this is more than a minor tweak.
Detroit sits at 36-22-7 (79 points) and holds the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re three points behind Tampa Bay and Montreal for third in the Atlantic Division. With fewer than 20 games remaining, every single one counts — and they’ll be playing at least six of those without their captain and one of their top playmakers.
How Did Dylan Larkin Get Injured?
The injury happened midway through the third period of that Panthers game. Larkin took a shot on Sergei Bobrovsky, but lost his edge on the follow-through and went down hard. His right knee bent at an uncomfortable angle as he hit the ice. No contact from any opposing player — just one of those ugly, fluke plays that can derail a season.
Larkin stayed down for several seconds before skating off under his own power, but he didn’t return. He’d logged 17:28 of ice time with an assist before leaving.
“Two weeks is still two weeks. They’re both very good players. We’d like to have them in the lineup,” McLellan said Thursday. The coach’s tone was measured, but you could hear the frustration underneath. This is a team that went all-in at the trade deadline, acquiring David Perron and Justin Faulk to bolster their roster for a playoff run. Losing Larkin wasn’t part of that plan.
Dylan Larkin’s 2025-26 Stats Before the Injury
Larkin was having a strong season before going down — arguably his most complete campaign in years. He’d been the engine of Detroit’s offense, driving play at both ends of the ice while wearing the “C” through a grueling schedule that included the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.
| Stat | 2025-26 (63 GP) |
|---|---|
| Goals | 28 |
| Assists | 27 |
| Points | 55 |
| +/- | +11 |
| Shots on Goal | 190 |
| Hits | 34 |
| Blocked Shots | 31 |
| Ice Time/Game | ~19:30 |
He was on pace for a 34-goal, 67-point season — solid numbers for a two-way center carrying an $8.7 million cap hit. And those numbers don’t capture his penalty-killing contributions, his faceoff work (hovering around 54%), or the intangible leadership that comes with being the guy who wears the “C” in Hockeytown.
Larkin also represented Team USA at the 2026 Olympics, recording 3 points in 6 games and helping the Americans win gold. He returned from that tournament riding high — and now this.
Andrew Copp Down Too: A Compounding Problem
If losing Larkin wasn’t bad enough, the Red Wings lost Andrew Copp to a lower-body injury just five days later. Copp got tangled up with Florida’s Tomas Nosek after a faceoff during Detroit’s 4-3 loss on March 11. Nosek fell onto Copp’s left leg, with most of the weight landing on his calf and ankle area.
Copp’s numbers this year: 37 points (8 goals, 29 assists) in 65 games. He’s been a reliable two-way presence and a key part of Detroit’s penalty kill. Losing him alongside Larkin strips the Wings of roughly 92 combined points of production from their forward group.
And then there’s David Perron. The veteran winger was reacquired from Ottawa on March 5 specifically to help with the playoff push, but he hasn’t played since January 20 due to sports hernia surgery. He’s been skating in a non-contact jersey and could return within a week, but that’s not guaranteed. If Perron can get healthy while Larkin and Copp are out, it softens the blow. If he can’t? Detroit’s in real trouble.
What This Means for Detroit’s Playoff Race
Here’s where the math gets uncomfortable. The Red Wings have gone 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and were already trending in the wrong direction before the injury bug hit. Now they’re missing their captain, their second-line center, and their trade deadline acquisition hasn’t suited up yet.
The Eastern Conference wild-card race is a knife fight right now:
| Team | Points | GP | ROW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 80 | 60 | 35 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 65 | 33 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 79 | 65 | 33 |
| Boston Bruins | 78 | 64 | 32 |
| Ottawa Senators | 76 | 63 | 31 |
That’s a one-point cushion over Boston and a three-point gap behind Tampa and Montreal for the third Atlantic spot. With games in hand factored in, the Lightning actually have a significant advantage. The margin for error is basically zero, and Detroit just lost the two forwards they can least afford to lose.
Steve Yzerman’s Take: “A Moving Target”
GM Steve Yzerman addressed the Larkin situation earlier this week, calling the return timeline “a little bit of a moving target, still.” That’s front-office speak for “we’re not sure exactly how long this is going to take.” The fact that initial MRI results showed no structural damage is encouraging, but soft tissue injuries in the knee area are notoriously tricky. Two weeks could easily stretch to three or four if there’s any setback.
Yzerman also made it clear the team won’t rush Larkin back. “Waiting for further evaluation to gain a clearer picture is the fairest approach for all parties involved,” he said. Smart move. The last thing you want is your $8.7 million captain aggravating a knee injury and missing the playoffs entirely — or worse, compromising his long-term health for a few regular-season games.
Who Steps Up? The Roster Replacement Plan
With Larkin and Copp out, the Red Wings recalled Austin Watson from Grand Rapids (AHL) under emergency conditions. Watson brings physicality and energy but isn’t going to replace the offensive output of two top-six forwards.
The real test falls on Detroit’s remaining core. Lucas Raymond needs to elevate his game. Alex DeBrincat has to be a 30-minute-a-night difference-maker. Patrick Kane — if he’s still got it in the tank at this stage of the season — needs to carry a heavier playmaking load. And the young guys like J.T. Compher and Michael Rasmussen need to step into bigger roles and not shrink from the moment.
From my perspective, this stretch without Larkin will tell us everything we need to know about this Red Wings team. Are they a legitimate playoff contender that can survive adversity, or a bubble team that crumbles the moment things go wrong? The next two weeks will answer that question definitively.
Historical Context: Detroit Without Its Captain
The Red Wings have been here before. During the 2023-24 season, Larkin missed 10 games due to various ailments, and Detroit went 4-5-1 without him. That’s not catastrophic, but it’s a losing record — and they can’t afford a losing record right now. Not with Boston breathing down their neck and Ottawa lurking three points back.
Larkin holds the franchise record with 13 career overtime goals, a mark he set earlier this season. He’s been the face of the rebuild since being drafted 15th overall in 2014, and his $69.6 million contract extension (signed in 2023) was the organization’s way of saying: you’re our guy for the long haul. Seeing him in a suit instead of a jersey during this critical stretch is gut-wrenching for a fanbase that’s waited years for meaningful March hockey.
What’s Next for the Red Wings?
Detroit faces the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night — a direct competitor in the wild-card race — without both Larkin and Copp. It’s a measuring-stick game that just became exponentially harder. After that, they’ve got matchups against the Rangers, Islanders, and Penguins in a stretch that could either keep them in the hunt or end their season before April.
The earliest Larkin could return is around March 26, which would give him roughly 10 regular-season games to get back up to speed before the playoffs. That’s assuming the two-week timeline holds and there are no setbacks. If Perron returns next week as expected, it at least gives the Wings a veteran scoring option to partially fill the void.
But there’s no sugarcoating it: this is a gut-check moment for the Detroit Red Wings. Their captain is down, their depth is being tested like never before, and the margin for error in the Eastern Conference is razor thin. How they respond over the next two weeks will define their entire season.
