Red Wings Coach Calls Out Captain

Wednesday was a dismal night for the Detroit Red Wings and for captain Dylan Larkin. Detroit coach Derek Lalonde believes if that situation doesn’t change, it’s going to be a very long year for the team.

Lalonde believes that Larkin has more to give, and that that he needs to be engaging soon, if not immediately. Otherwise, the team’s 4-5-1 first month won’t merely be a bad start to the NHL season, but harbinger of things to come.

“I think so. I think so,” Lalonde said when asked if there was a gear missing from Larkin’s engine. “He goes through these stretches for sure.

“Yeah, I think there’s another. Because we’ve seen it. We’ve seen it throughout his career. So we’ll need that and want that from him.”

That's Dylan Larkin's third power play goal of the year! 🐙 pic.twitter.com/JtO5eWhDh4

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 31, 2024

Even though he’s leading the Red Wings with five goals and three power-play goals, there are other numbers connecting to Larkin’s name that are painting an entirely different level of his performance this season.

Larkin was minus-three in Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. He won just 37% of his faceoffs during the game. With one assist through 10 games, the Detroit captain is on pace for a nine assist season.

Underlying Numbers Poor For Larkin

The analysis grows even worse when diving into Larkin’s analytics. For example, he’s spending just 47.3% of his shifts in the offensive zone. That’s 13th on the team. When the driver of your team’s offense isn’t in attack mode, bad things tend to be happening.

According to Naturalstattrick.com, the Red Wings are being outshot 85-58 and outchanced 72-58 when Larkin is on the ice. The club’s expected goals for percentage is just 44.62%. The Red Wings are surrendering 25 high danger scoring chances with Larkin between the boards, while creating only 14.

A FIRST PERIOD BANG BANG 💥 pic.twitter.com/WrZrjNAZFo

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 30, 2024

“Even Dylan, just little underlying numbers, chance differential – last year Dylan was like a plus 100 on the year,” Lalonde said. “That’s what a top center looks like.

“I mean he’s a negative right now. So I do think will trend a little better but it’s on us. It’s up to our group to trend better.”