Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan shared his thoughts on team captain Dylan Larkin, who notched the 600th point of his NHL career as part of their 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday evening.
He's the homegrown team captain and longest serving player on the Detroit Red Wings, and he picked up a key career milestone on Tuesday evening.
Forward Dylan Larkin notched the 600th point of his NHL career by scoring into the vacated net against the Seattle Kraken, ensuring Detroit's victory and moving them into first place in the Atlantic Division.
Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) on X
Dylan Larkin hits the open net, reaching 600 career points. 🚨 #LGRW #RedWings
Larkin is off to a fantastic start in Detroit's centennial campaign, having already notched 11 goals with 12 assists. If he were to continue at this current trajectory, he'd easily smash his previous career highs in both categories.
He's also just the 11th player in Red Wings history to achieve 600 career points all while wearing the Winged Wheel. Considering that the club is playing in their 100th season, that's not an accomplishment to be ignored.
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Head coach Todd McLellan, who has now overseen Larkin since taking over the coaching responsibilities nearly a full year ago, now has a greater appreciation for Larkin having been around him now.
"I can tell you, I appreciate him a whole lot more when I'm here with the team, and the things he does every day for the team and the group, and the way he plays," McLellan said.
"To me, he's come in this season with a bird, a chip on his shoulder, and he's played really well from day one," he continued. "We haven't had to poke or prod it out of him - he's brought it night after night after night. A really good leader."
McLellan coached against Larkin and the Red Wings during his time as head coach of both the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, but as Western Conference opponents, his respective teams didn't face Detroit more than twice in an 82-game schedule.
"Being out west, you just don't see the teams out here enough to really appreciate it," McLellan said. "You see them in highlights and stuff like that....but you don't see the whole game. I appreciate him a whole lot more when I'm with him."
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