From The Silky Mitten State: Dylan Larkin's injury has sent an unwelcome cascading effect through the Red Wings' forward group
From The Silky Mitten State: Dylan Larkin's injury has sent an unwelcome cascading effect through the Red Wings' forward group
Since Dylan Larkin went down injured late in the Red Wings' 4-0 loss to Florida 16 days ago, Detroit has managed just a 1-6-0 record. It's a run that's called the depth the Red Wings have touted and benefited from all season into question, and it's a run that's jeopardized their playoff aspirations.
As you'd perhaps expect from a stretch of one win from seven games, nothing seems to be working for Detroit at the moment, and one particular area of concern has been the team's center depth absent Larkin. The Red Wings have made significant free agent investments down the middle in the last two summers in the form of Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher.
Neither of those players were signed to be Detroit's number one center (nor even necessarily for their ability to drive offense), but you'd certainly hope that the Red Wings could sustain more structure and stability than they've been able to derive without Larkin. That is not to blame either Copp or Compher for problems that clearly extend beyond any individual player. Instead, it's become impossible not to wonder about the sustainability of the Red Wings' progress this season when the depth that's got them there appears so vulnerable to a Larkin injury.
On the latest episode of The Silky Mitten State, my co-host Connor Earegood and I discussed this problem. For a sample of that conversation, check out the clip below:
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