Todd McLellan directly calls out Dylan Larkin for his trade request away from Detroit

Dylan Larkin won't play opening night, but Todd McLellan delivered a message that could easily be heard as aimed in his direction.

The Detroit Red Wings head coach spoke forcefully about what wearing the Winged Wheel is supposed to mean before Friday's opener against the New York Rangers.

“We are the goddamn Detroit Red Wings, and if that doesn't mean anything to anybody, then shame on them.”

McLellan never identified Larkin as the target of those words. But the timing gives them extra weight with Detroit's former captain requesting a trade after last season.

Larkin has acknowledged that request publicly and entered training camp understanding there would be consequences. Detroit will begin the season without a captain after Larkin wore the “C” for six seasons.

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The message from McLellan was bigger than one player. Still, with the Larkin situation hanging over the locker room, his emphasis on what being a Red Wing means was impossible to separate completely from that storyline.

In the clip, McLellan's delivery grows more forceful as he stresses the identity attached to wearing a Red Wings sweater.

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McLellan draws a line before opening night

Larkin won't have an opportunity to answer on the ice Friday. McLellan confirmed the center will miss Detroit's first two games with an upper-body injury and said he hopes to have him back for Game 3.

That absence only makes the opening-night dynamic more striking. The Red Wings are starting a new season while their longtime captain remains on the roster, wants a trade and cannot play.

McLellan has also made clear that Detroit isn't pretending its internal issues don't exist. His focus has been keeping the group together and pushing through the noise surrounding the club.

And this particular message landed with some edge. Whether McLellan intended it for Larkin specifically is something only he can answer.

But when a coach stresses loyalty to the Red Wings brand while the franchise's former captain has asked out, people are going to connect those dots.

Now Detroit gets the Rangers on opening night without Larkin. McLellan has already established the standard he expects from everybody who does pull on that sweater.

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