Dylan Larkin’s Curious Absence From Red Wings Post Raises Eyebrows

The Detroit Red Wings published a perfectly ordinary NHL 27 promotional graphic Friday.

Then people noticed who wasn’t in it.

Detroit’s NHL 27 ratings post featured Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and Alex DeBrincat, each carrying an 89 overall rating, along with goaltender John Gibson at 85.

Dylan Larkin was nowhere to be found.

Normally, deciding which four players make a video game graphic belongs somewhere between preseason jersey-number changes and practice-group assignments on the list of things worth losing sleep over. Larkin’s situation isn’t normal.

According to EA Sports’ official Red Wings ratings, Larkin is also rated 89 overall. In fact, EA lists Raymond, Seider and Larkin as Detroit’s three highest-rated players. That makes leaving the captain out while including an 85-rated Gibson noticeable, whether there was a deeper reason behind it or not.

And that’s where we should probably pump the brakes before turning a social-media graphic into the Zapruder film.

There is no reporting that Chris Ilitch, Detroit’s hockey operations staff or anyone else in the front office ordered Larkin removed from promotional material. The people running a team’s social accounts aren’t negotiating trades, and a graphic isn’t confirmation that the relationship between Larkin and the organization is beyond repair.

But context matters.

Larkin’s trade request remained in place after Steve Yzerman left the GM position, and Detroit still has not found a deal for its captain. With training camp approaching, we’ve already examined the increasingly realistic possibility that Larkin could begin the season wearing the Winged Wheel.

That’s what makes Friday’s omission interesting.

If Larkin were simply another player buried down Detroit’s NHL 27 ratings, nobody would care. He isn’t. He’s the captain, the team’s No. 1 center and tied for the highest overall rating among Detroit forwards. The Hockey News had already noted earlier this week that Larkin, Raymond and DeBrincat all received identical 89 ratings.

So yes, leaving him out is curious.

Calling it proof that Detroit is finished with Larkin would be doing a lot of heavy lifting with one graphic. Sports Illustrated’s Red Wings coverage also raised the omission Friday, while correctly acknowledging that Detroit’s social team doesn’t determine the organization’s hockey decisions.

The more revealing development will come when Detroit begins rolling out its actual 2026-27 marketing campaign.

If Larkin continues disappearing from season-ticket promotions, advertising and other major team materials, that’s a pattern.

For now, it’s one post.

It just happens to be one post involving a captain who asked to leave.