Dylan Larkin rejoining the Detroit Red Wings on the ice
Though he was wearing a gray non-contact jersey, captain Dylan Larkin participated in the morning skate on Thursday, which is encouraging for the Detroit Red Wings. At least he was working out with the guys.
Larkin is skating with the club for the first time since the terrifying incident that occurred last Saturday night in Detroit, almost a week ago. Naturally, you are aware that Larkin was cross-checked in the back of the head and neck by Mathieu Joseph of Ottawa, and as he staggered forward, his chin made contact with Parker Kelly’s stick’s butt end.
Veteran player David Perron decided to exact revenge on defenseman Artem Zub by severely cross-checking him in the side of the head while Larkin lay motionless. Due to his actions and intention to cause injury, Perron was removed from the game and subsequently given a six-game suspension.
The Red Wings forward has already served three games during his sentence; however, despite the NHL Players Association and Perron’s appeal of the ban this past Tuesday, no progress or settlement has been made. Allan Walsh, Perron’s agent, referred to the Department of Player Safety as a “Kangaroo Court” and the suspension as “a farce.” He used Zub’s continued participation in the game and Perron’s 1,081 NHL games without a prior suspension as evidence against the punishment.
Derek Lalonde, the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, stated that someone brought up the fact that Auston Matthews’ suspension for a comparable action was limited to two games. “Those two (suspensions) were pretty similar for the difference of four games,” Lalonde remarked. “David has played 1,100 games with a clean sheet. I understand that he was rather dissatisfied, but you have to have faith in the process, and time will tell.
Following Detroit’s practice, Larkin was not made available to reporters, but a number of teammates expressed their happiness at seeing him back on the ice.
In 24 games this season, the captain of the Detroit Red Wings has amassed 11 goals and 25 points. In addition, he has a plus-5 rating and, even more astonishing, a 52.8% Corsi For Percentage with an average of more than 19 minutes worked per night. Larkin also keeps an amazing 7.7 Relative Corsi For Percentage when playing at even strength. His career-best 3.2 points per 60 minutes is also an improvement over his 3.0 points per 60 minutes from the previous two seasons.
While it was wonderful to have Larkin back in the NHL, on Thursday, there came some regrettable news. With what was described as a day-to-day ailment, forward J.T. Compher was eligible to come off Injured Reserve prior to Detroit’s game against Carolina, but he stayed on the sidelines. Compher has scored six goals for the Red Wings this season, for a total of 19 points.
