Red Wings announce suspension decision on Dylan Larkin after his stand against the club

The Detroit Red Wings have suspended Dylan Larkin without pay after the center told the club he will no longer play for them, hours before tonight's game against Chicago.

Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff put out a statement Thursday, and it doesn't hide the anger. Larkin "has informed us that he will no longer play for the Detroit Red Wings," Horcoff said.

The organization calls itself disappointed, "particularly given his obligations to the organization and his teammates." That's a pointed line about a player who held the captaincy.

The punishment is immediate. Horcoff said the club has "therefore suspended Dylan without pay." No cooling-off period. No hint of a middle ground.

Then comes the part that matters most for the rest of the league. Horcoff said Detroit will "continue to explore trade opportunities involving Dylan."

There's a catch, and Horcoff spelled it out. Any deal needs Larkin's approval, and it must also be "in the best interests of the Detroit Red Wings and support the organization's long-term goals."

Read that twice. Detroit isn't promising to move him at any price, and it isn't going to hand him a quick exit just because he asked for one.

What a Larkin trade market could look like

The timing is awkward for a team trying to find its footing. Detroit sits 5-4-3 through 12 games, 21st in the NHL and eighth in the Atlantic Division.

The Red Wings are coming off a 4-3 shootout win in Edmonton on Monday, and they're 5-2-3 over their last 10. That's a team that was getting by, not one cruising.

Larkin was part of that start. He has 2 goals and 4 assists in 10 games this season, and he's a +3.

Across his career he has 278 goals and 649 points in 818 games, all of it after Detroit drafted him 15th overall in 2014. Those numbers will draw interest from any contender that needs a center.

Detroit's goal differential is -4, with 33 goals for and 37 against. Losing a top-line center without a return coming back makes that harder to fix.

Horcoff closed his statement by thanking the coaches and players for "their continued focus, and being committed to competing every day." It's a message aimed at the room as much as the public.

For earlier context, here is Dylan Larkin's agent Pat Brisson's statement on the lineup removal.

Here's the editorial read. Suspending him without pay while demanding his sign-off on any trade is a hard line, and it shrinks Detroit's leverage the longer this drags. A suspended player has no reason to hurry.

And Elliotte Friedman's report on the Larkin trade stance suggests nothing is close anywhere.

Who blinks first, a franchise protecting its long-term plan or a player who has already walked away?

Also read on Markerzone.com:
Dylan Larkin's agent Pat Brisson issues statement for his client after removal from Red Wings lineup