Dylan Larkin: the Red Wings forward has made his call this morning

Dylan Larkin joined the Detroit Red Wings for practice this morning, and the timing matters with Buffalo coming to Little Caesars Arena on Thursday.

It came less than 24 hours after Detroit hung seven on Pittsburgh in a 7-4 exhibition win on the road.

Larkin wore a black practice sweater while the players around him skated in white and red. At one point he dropped to a knee near the boards, talking with a teammate.

For Todd McLellan, that image beats any lineup card. A center with his résumé on the ice in late September is the easiest news a coach gets all month.

And the résumé is loud. Larkin scored 34 goals and added 33 assists in 74 games last season, finishing with a +3 rating.

Career-wise, the 30-year-old has played 808 NHL games, all in a Detroit sweater, since the Red Wings took him 15th overall in 2014.

Marco Kasper handled 20:33 in Pittsburgh with Larkin out of the lineup

The Waterford, Michigan native did not dress Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena.

Marco Kasper soaked up the heavy minutes down the middle instead. He was held scoreless, went minus-1 and took four penalty minutes.

Nate Danielson chipped in an assist over 14:19. Fine numbers for a September night. Not the numbers of a top-six anchor.

The offence came from the wings and the blue line. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scored twice, including once on the power play.

Anton Johansson racked up four assists from the back end, and Ondrej Becher potted the winner.

Here's the problem. Beating a Penguins team that got 16 saves on 23 shots from Arturs Silovs proves nothing, and Detroit can't open October hoping kids hold the middle.

Pulling Larkin out of this group is like pulling the pole out of a tent. Everything is still there. It just sags.

The money says the same thing. Detroit carries his $8,700,000 cap hit through 2030-31, the kind of number built around a guy who drives the top line.

So does he suit up Thursday against the Sabres?

Buffalo arrives off a 5-1 win over Columbus, and Detroit's preseason sits at 1-0-1.

Then the real schedule hits. The Red Wings open at home against the Rangers on October 2, the first stop of a four-game homestand.

-

Nobody has said whether Thursday is the plan. Until somebody does, every practice sweater color in Detroit is going to get studied like a medical chart.

Also read on Markerzone.com:
Auston Matthews' exit warning leaves the Maple Leafs facing their worst-case scenario