The reported trade request by Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin is a complete 180 of what he said in late April after the season came to a close.
The fallout from Thursday's bombshell report from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman that Dylan Larkin requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings continues to dominate the discussion in Motor City sports circles.
The Red Wings have now missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for ten consecutive seasons, the longest active drought in the NHL. Larkin is the only player on the current Red Wings roster who skated in their most recent playoff appearance in 2016.
Right now, it appears as though the drought, which has included three consecutive meltdowns in March, has finally become too much for Larkin to want to continue enduring.
However, his reported trade request is the opposite of what he had to say during his season-ending media availability session in late April.
Speaking at Little Caesars Arena after the Red Wings had cleaned out their lockers, Larkin said that it was his desire to remain in Detroit and see the process through of finally becoming a playoff team and moving into Stanley Cup contention.
"I'm just thinking now going back to when I re-signed and, you know, signed an eight-year deal and I knew that we had work to do and I knew that we weren't going to win the Stanley Cup the next day," Larkin said. "But I wanted to be here and I want to be here to help this team in any way I can to win the Stanley Cup."
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"I wanted to be here, and I want to be here to help this team in any way I can to win the Stanley Cup," he said. "We need to get the Detroit Red Wings back in the playoffs - not just me."
Larkin registered a career-high 34 goals this season, but for the second time in the last three seasons, suffered an untimely injury and missed multiple games while the rest of his teammates struggled down the stretch.
If Larkin were ultimately traded, it would signal a major shakeup in the direction of GM Steve Yzerman's long-term vision for the club he took over in April 2019.
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