Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin earned high praise from a pair of notable NHL Insiders after his performance in the Olympics.
Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin was one of three players on the club selected to represent their respective countries in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Larkin proved to be a spark plug for Team USA once again, opening the scoring in each of their victories over Team Sweden and Team Slovakia en route to what would ultimately be their first gold medal win since 1980.
Larkin, who had already earned considerable praise from the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast, has now been singled out for praise yet again.
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Noted NHL Insiders John Buccigross and Frank Seravalli referred to Larkin as both a “heart and soul” and “emotional leader” of Team USA, and wondered how that might benefit the Red Wings moving forward.
“Just dependable and professional, almost like a heart and soul kind of guy,” Buccigross said of Larkin. “His face really lit up when that gold medal was placed around his neck. He hasn’t had much playoff experience with Detroit, but it looks like he’ll get it this year.”
“To me, Dylan Larkin was the emotional leader of this team from start to finish,” Seravalli added. “The intensity, how much he cares, his love of country, it shined through in a big, big way.”
The Red Wings, who resume their NHL schedule on Thursday, will be looking to break their lengthy postseason drought.
With Larkin set to return, his gold medal win will only add to his hunger to experience that kind of success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in which he hasn’t played since his rookie campaign of 2015-16.
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