Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin, absent since suffering a lower-body injury on March 6, has returned to practice, though his potential return to gameplay date remains unclear.
It was a positive first step for the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday morning as they continued preparations to face the Montreal Canadiens in what has become a critical divisional showdown with major playoff implications.
Team captain Dylan Larkin, who has been absent since suffering a lower-body injury against the Florida Panthers on March 6, skated at Little Caesars Arena during an optional morning skate and went through a series of drills while appearing to be in good game shape.
While that's a major step forward for the Red Wings, head coach Todd McLellan indicated that his timeline for a return to gameplay remains unchanged.
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McLellan, who noted Larkin's diligent work with the club's training staff as he works his way back, confirmed that he'll be unavailable for Thursday night's tilt but that they remain in wait-and-see mode.
"He's improving, which is to be expected," McLellan said of Larkin.
"It's been a little while now, and he's doing a diligent job with the therapist on working and getting him back," he continued. "This is the first step for him, to be on the ice. But he's not playing tonight, we know that for sure, and we'll see what happens as we move forward."
With 28 goals and 27 assists, Larkin remains third overall in team scoring.
The Red Wings, who have also been without Andrew Copp, Michael Rasmussen, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, have seen familiar March struggles from past seasons resurface - injuries to key players, frustrating regulation losses, and a surge from opponents trying to catch them in the standings.
The good news is that Copp, who was hurt just four days after Larkin, has been designated as a game-time decision on Thursday.
While they won’t rush their injured players back too quickly to avoid further injury, Detroit is eager to have a fully healthy lineup again as their playoff push intensifies.
"You'd like to have your best lineup possible," McLellan said. "Obviously, some of those players are really important to our hockey club, and the quicker we can get them back, the better off we are."
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