Injury Update: Larkin Skates, Walman Takes Maintenance Day
An update on the health status of Dylan Larkin and Jake Walman
The Detroit Red Wings got some good news, news they badly need, as this morning's practice got started, and captain Dylan Larkin (absent five games now, all of them regulation losses) took the ice.
Larkin was not a full participant in practice. Instead, he did some light solo skating and stickhandling work before practice began. Then, as the formal practice got started, Larkin worked with the defensemen as they repped retrievals and breakouts, while the rest of Detroit's forwards did battle drills on the opposite end of the rink. Larkin returned to the dressing room not long after practice began.
After practice concluded, coach Derek Lalonde described the work as "part of the process." He added that "it's still probably very unlikely we'll see him this weekend and after that off-day on Monday we'll have a better feel."
When asked about the balance between not rushing Larkin back and the glaring void in Detroit's lineup without him, Lalonde replied, "Obviously things look at lot different with him [available], but I think we know we're probably not gonna see him at least through the next two or three games, so it's back to the task at hand and trying to get out of this."
Meanwhile, defenseman Jake Walman did not participate in today's practice. Lalonde said it was just a "maintenance day" for Walman, adding that Walman "actually wanted to skate, but our trainer pulled him just with the back-to-back, he needed a maintenance day, so he'll be available for tomorrow."