Dylan Larkin Catches Heat From ESPN Over Refusal To Report

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The Detroit Red Wings are currently dealing with two awkward standoffs with two different key players - but one of them has a deadline for a resolution.

Former Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin announced through his agent last month that he would no longer report to the team, which responded by suspending him without pay.

Meanwhile, RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson remains without a contract and has until Dec. 1 to sign in order to be eligible to play this season.

However, Larkin's saga has gone on for several months since his trade request, which was made immediately after the 2025-26 season in the words of former GM Steve Yzerman, became public knowledge in early June. 

Larkin's decision to not fulfill his end of his contract has not only drawn near universal criticism from the Red Wings fan base, but was roundly admonished by former NHL defenseman and current analyst Erik Johnson. 

During Thursday night's national broadcast of the Red Wings' contest against the Florida Panthers, Johnson derided the decision by Larkin to stop playing with multiple years left on his contract.

"I can't stand these guys halfway through their contracts that they signed in good faith with their team, now bailing ship and wanting to go for greener pastures," said Johnson, who won the Stanley Cup in 2022 with the Colorado Avalanche. 

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However, Larkin wasn't the only target of Johnson's remarks.

"This isn't exclusive to Dylan Larkin," Johnson continued. "Lots of guys around the league are doing it. I don't like it. As a former player, I don't like these guys abandoning their team midseason, mid-contract."

Larkin's fellow Michigan native, Connor Hellebuyck, requested a trade from the Winnipeg Jets months ago and went public with his request in late August after general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff failed to move him.

Hellebuyck refused to report to training camp, was suspended, and was eventually traded to the New Jersey Devils.

Last month, Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff said that there is no timetable for when Larkin could be moved, and that the club would take its time to find a deal which is in the best interest of the organization. 

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