Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said the forward will have to be cleared by a doctor. Larkin was the center on a line with left wing Lucas Raymond and right wing Viktor Arvidsson, and on the power play, during the morning skate.
"If he's cleared, he's playing," McLellan said.
Larkin requested a trade after last season and lost the captaincy entering this season. He reported to training camp but couldn't participate at first because of an upper-body injury sustained in offseason training. Although he returned to practice, he did not play in the preseason or Detroit's first two regular-season games.
The fans booed Larkin when he was introduced before the opener at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, but the 30-year-old remains the Red Wings' No. 1 center, and they need his help offensively after scoring two goals in their first two games -- a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday and a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
Larkin set an NHL career high with 34 goals last season, and he has scored at least 30 goals six times, including each of the past five seasons. From 2021-26, he scored 160 goals, 37 more than anyone else for Detroit. He ranks 10th in Red Wings history with 643 points (276 goals, 367 assists) in 808 games, including 67 points (34 goals, 33 assists) in 74 games last season.
He signed an eight-year, $69.6 million ($8.7 million annual average value) with the Red Wings on March 1, 2023.
Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton are injured and week to week and J.T. Compher is day to day, McLellan said. Each forward is out against the Senators.
