Larkin to miss start of training camp for Red Wings with upper-body injury

DETROIT -- Dylan Larkin will not be on the ice to start training camp with the Detroit Red Wings because of an upper-body injury sustained during off-ice training earlier this week, interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said Wednesday.

Larkin, who has requested a trade, will be with the team rehabbing.

"It's going to take him a little bit of time to get back from it, and when we have a better timeline of when he will be back and available, we'll let everybody know," Horcoff said.

Horcoff said the Red Wings hope Larkin will return during the preseason.

"At some point, when he starts feeling better, of course we're going to integrate him into on-ice sessions, and he'll be back and skating with the team," Horcoff said. "But there's no timeline for that right now."

Horcoff, announced as the interim GM on Tuesday, said he has full authority on all hockey operations, including a potential Larkin trade. He declined to comment on the status of Larkin's trade request or trade talks.

Larkin has five years remaining on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract ($8.7 million average annual value) he signed with Detroit on March 1, 2023.

"I want to reiterate that we're going to keep those conversations private between Dylan and the organization," Horcoff said. "There was a lot that kind of went into that, and we've had good discussions with Dylan. We're happy that he's here in camp. He has the full support of us, and we look forward to getting him healthy and back on the ice."

Larkin, who had an NHL career-high 34 goals, and 67 points in 74 games last season, has been Detroit's captain and No. 1 center. The Red Wings announced Friday that they would start the season without a captain.

Asked if the Red Wings would go the entire season without a captain, Horcoff said that would work itself out, and they feel they have a ton of leaders in the dressing room.

He said he doesn't expect the Larkin situation to be a distraction, calling Larkin a professional and pointing out how teammates like forward Alex DeBrincat and defenseman Moritz Seider already have made positive public statements.

"We're a better team with Dylan Larkin in our lineup, and we're just going to take it day by day and see how this goes," Horcoff said. "Again, we're excited to kind of get Dylan healthy again and get him back to camp, and leave it at that for now."

Horcoff has a pressing item of business in defenseman Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent in need of a contract. The Red Wings' first practice of camp is Thursday morning.

"Obviously, that's the priority for us," Horcoff said. "Simon is a fantastic player and a bright spot in our organization, so we're going to get to work on that contract as soon as we can and hopefully have something done here shortly."

DeBrincat, a Detroit native who led the Red Wings in goals (41) and points (85) last season, has one season left on his contract but has been eligible to sign a new contract since July 1.

"Alex is a fantastic player," Horcoff said. "He had a fantastic season last year. He's a guy that we rely on for his leadership, for his scoring ability. He's a local kid, loves being here, loves being a Red Wing.

"We're going to get to Alex shortly. There's not a timetable with him. We obviously have some time to get to an agreement with Alex, but it is something that's on our forefront. We'd like to get him signed."