Reading the room is key, and the Detroit Red Wings sent a bit of a firestorm through their fan base, whether they intended to or not, with a quick post Thursday wishing current captain Dylan Larkin a happy birthday. 

The caption didn't offer much beyond a string of emojis, a choice that suggested the team may have had a sense of what was coming in the comment section.

The photo chosen for the post also had Larkin facing away, not showcasing his 'C' as team captain, a detail some fans were quick to point out and one that could be a signal of something else to come down the road.

Larkin turned 30 on Thursday, and plenty of Red Wings fans are still not over his decision earlier this offseason to request a trade out of Detroit, the only NHL organization he's ever known. 

The Waterford Township, Michigan, native has reached the playoffs just once in his career, back in his rookie season of 2015-16, as the Red Wings have missed the postseason for 10 straight years, the longest active drought in the league.

Opinions on the request have been split as some fans feel Larkin earned the right to ask out after over a decade of losing. Others were rubbed the wrong way by the trade list he presented, which initially included just three teams before eventually growing to four in the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars. Each team being a contender with little in the way of appealing trade pieces to offer back for a player of Larkin's caliber.

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With none of those teams able to put together a package general manager Steve Yzerman has deemed worthwhile, and Detroit still searching for its next GM, it increasingly looks like Larkin could be opening training camp back in Detroit, the very team he asked to leave. 

That reality could make for an awkward situation in the room, and Thursday's low-key birthday post suggested the fan base, at least, hasn't fully made peace with it.

The comment section made that clear. One fan posted a GIF captioned "Me to Dylan when he blows the candles," showing someone getting their face shoved into a cake. Another pointed out that July 30 also happens to be the birthday of former Red Wings captain Reed Larson, suggesting the team could have looked elsewhere for inspiration. 

Not everyone was unforgiving, though as one commenter wrote, "I think I speak for all Detroit fans when I say WE welcome you back with open arms and forgive you, D-Boss."

It was a surprising post for the Red Wings' social media team to put out in the middle of an unresolved trade saga, and it's one that will likely be remembered as one of the more talked-about moments of an already eventful Detroit offseason.

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