Dylan Larkin Gets Brutally Honest After Red Wings Collapse

“We did the right things. Guys worked hard, prepared the right way. But when the pressure ramped up, we tightened up as a group.”

That tension showed up early in games, too.

“Part of the issue was dipping your toe into games instead of jumping in,” he said. “You have to know going into a game that you’re ready to go right away.”

As captain, Larkin did not shy away from his role in that.

“That’s on me as captain. I should’ve been driving play earlier to set the tone.”

Injury at the worst possible time

Larkin was not at full strength during the most critical stretch of the season.

“Yeah, it bothered me. I wasn’t able to move as well,” he said.

A hit the night before a key moment lingered.

“I got hit the night before against Vegas, and that played a bigger role than people probably realized.”

Then came the play that made things worse.

“It was an awkward play. It was unfortunate, but also lucky it wasn’t more serious.”

The timing could not have been worse.

“The timing was just unbelievable. You’re thinking, ‘Why now?’ But injuries are part of sports.”

Offense that disappeared when it mattered

Detroit had chances. They just could not finish them.

“We had chances, we just weren’t burying them,” Larkin said. “Or we’d score and then give one up.”

That inconsistency proved costly.

“To score, you’ve got to go to the net, be hard, and get pucks through,” he said. “Five-on-five scoring is a big area of emphasis for our team.”

A brutally honest self-assessment

Larkin did not sugarcoat his own performance.

“Not good enough,” he said. “There were positives, but overall, not good enough.”

He embraced a difficult role this season, often matching up against top players.

“It’s a hard job to both score and shut down top players, but I embraced that role.”

Still, he knows results are what matter.

Belief that makes it sting more

What made this collapse different was belief.

Real belief.

“Yes, I believed it,” Larkin said. “65 games in, we put ourselves in a good spot.”

That is what makes the ending harder to process.

“It’s very disappointing to be sitting here today,” he said. “I believed we were going to make the playoffs yesterday.”

What comes next

There is no quick fix. Larkin knows that.

“It’s a team sport. There are 23 guys, and everyone plays a role,” he said. “We need to get the Detroit Red Wings back in the playoffs, not just me.”

The only path forward is reflection and work.

“You find the balance with an honest assessment. You reflect, then you go get better,” Larkin said. “You build confidence through preparation.”

Another offseason begins.

Same goal. Same urgency.

Different ending needed.