Red Wings suspend Dylan Larkin without pay after he refuses to play for Detroit

Dylan Larkin is done with Detroit. The Red Wings suspended their former captain without pay on Thursday after he informed the franchise he would no longer report or play for the team — a move that interim general manager Shawn Horcoff called, with notable understatement, 'a strong statement.'

Dylan no longer wants to be a Red Wing, and he's not with us. That pretty much is a strong statement. I think Dylan's the only one that really would be able to answer something like that, but for us, it's pretty cut and dried.— Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings Interim General Manager

The suspension came hours before Detroit faced the Chicago Blackhawks at Little Caesars Arena. Coach Todd McLellan confirmed Larkin would not be in the lineup, with sources telling ESPN he was being held out for 'trade-related' reasons. The Red Wings went on to win 4-1.

The break had been building for months. Larkin, 30, requested a trade after last season, clashing with then-GM Steve Yzerman, who was fired on July 15. Despite that, Larkin showed up for training camp — delayed at first by an upper-body injury — and was stripped of the captaincy he had held for six seasons. He absorbed boos at the home opener and posted six points in 10 games. Then, on Thursday, his agent Pat Brisson delivered the message that ended any remaining goodwill.

Dylan's had enough of the situation. We believe he's been very professional and cooperative through this process.— Pat Brisson, Larkin's Agent

Horcoff had hoped to keep Larkin in Detroit. That plan is now off the table — but so is any quick trade. Larkin's full no-trade clause limits his destinations to a reported list of roughly 10 teams, and his contract — four seasons into an eight-year, $69.6 million deal at $8.7 million per year — makes fitting his salary into a trade complicated.

With the teams that Dylan has on his list, it's difficult to get something done. A trade like this, there are significant challenges when you're trying to put a salary like Dylan's into a team, trying to find the right pieces to give in return. So, it's difficult.— Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings Interim General Manager

How long it takes, I'm not sure. But I'm prepared to wait as long as necessary to make sure that the return that we get is something that is good for the Red Wings overall.— Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings Interim General Manager

Horcoff said he wants players who can help Detroit right away but is open to all kinds of returns. He was direct about what would help move things along: Larkin expanding his no-trade list.

There probably are certain teams in the League that, if they were on his list, it would be easier for us to come to a deal and come to an agreement. But unfortunately, at this point, we're not there yet.— Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings Interim General Manager

Larkin's departure is the latest blow to a franchise already struggling. Detroit is tied for the bottom of the Atlantic Division and has missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons — the longest active drought in the NHL and the longest in Red Wings history. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent, also remains unsigned and has requested a trade. Detroit still has not hired a permanent general manager following Yzerman's firing.

Inside the locker room, the reaction was raw but resolute. Defenseman Moritz Seider said the win over Chicago 'meant a little more' because 'this is our squad,' and expressed hope that Larkin's departure would clear the air.

You just get sick and tired of answering the same question over and over again. I think now it's good to just put it in the past, turn the page and get really excited for whoever we get, whatever pick we're going to get, and then we'll have players that are happy to be here.— Moritz Seider, Red Wings Defenseman

Sometimes all this nonsense brings a group together.— Todd McLellan, Red Wings Head Coach

The numbers make Larkin's exit complicated to process. He ranks 10th in Red Wings history with 649 points — 278 goals and 371 assists — in 818 games, and wore the 'C' for six seasons. He is also a six-time 30-goal scorer. Yet as he left Thursday, a section of fans chanted expletives at him. The question of how those same fans will receive him when he returns to Detroit in an opposing jersey — whenever that trade finally comes — now hangs over the franchise.

Why it matters — Larkin is one of the most productive players in Red Wings history, and his forced exit — complicated by a no-trade clause and a massive contract — leaves Detroit in a difficult position: unable to move him quickly, unable to keep him, and still without a permanent GM to navigate the fallout.

Reported by yahoo.com, nhl.com