The Detroit Red Wings were wishing captain Dylan Larkin a happy birthday on Thursday. Larkin is celebrating his 30th birthday.
It’s kind of unusual that you would be wishing someone a happy birthday when they are requesting a bon voyage.
Then again, this summer certainly hasn’t been business as usual for the Red Wings.
Since missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 10th successive season, the good ship Red Wings has been riding the rapids through some rough waters.
First, Larkin, who’s been with the team for 11 seasons, requested a trade. Friction between Larkin and Detroit GM Steve Yzerman is believed to be at the root of this request.
Then a couple of weeks ago, Yzerman shockingly stepped down as GM of the club. He’s moving upstairs into a new role. A search is underway for his replacement.
Another shoe dropped last week when UFA Patrick Kane chose to leave the Wings. Kane is returning to his original club, the Chicago Blackhawks.
Are the Red Wings Extending an Olive Branch to Larkin?
You have questions. We have questions.
What we don’t have is answers. No pro sports franchise puts a cone of silence around its inner workings like the Red Wings do.
Larkin is entering the fourth year of an eight-year pact that will pay him an AAV of $8.7 million for the life of its term. His contract includes a full no-movement clause. He’s given Detroit three options as a destination in a deal: the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights.
That short list has made moving Larkin far more difficult. At this juncture, you’d have to say Larkin being in training camp with the Red Wings is a realistic possibility.
That being the case, are the Red Wings seeking to do some damage control with their captain?
Was the Yzerman move done in an attempt to appease Larkin? It’s possible.
Is wishing Larkin a happy birthday on the club’s official social media channels an attempt to extend an olive branch, or merely an instance of the team doing the decent thing?
One likely certainty is that no one in the Red Wings social media team made this decision without getting clearance from someone at a higher pay grade in the organization.
The Red Wings don’t have a GM. Soon, they might not have a captain. Training camp opens in 50 days.
And, while everyone awaits resolution to so many unanswered questions, another day passes in this soap opera that is As The Winged Wheel Turns.