DETROIT -- Hours before the season opener on home ice, the Detroit Red Wings moved Dylan Larkin to a non-roster injured reserve spot while the club continues to deal with his trade request.
Minutes before the puck dropped at Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings' fans let their former captain hear just how they felt about the whole situation.
Larkin, 30, who reported to training camp last month but missed some practice time because of an upper-body injury, was booed loudly by the opening night crowd during pregame festivities in which each player was introduced. When "No. 71, Dylan Larkin" was announced, a chorus of jeers followed as he was shown, wearing street clothes, on the video board while arena officials quickly turned to music to drown it out.
"Dylan being part of the team, he wanted to be out there for the ceremony," Detroit coach Todd McLellan said after the game. "Obviously, he's got to live with the ramifications of asking for a trade. It's not comfortable for anybody; I feel bad for him. I do."
All in all, it dampened the mood in what turned out to be a 2-0 victory by the New York Rangers. As the Red Wings opened the season without a captain, they couldn't post a goal in their 22 shots against New York goaltender Dylan Garand.
Larkin is seeking a deal from the only club he has played for, a franchise that has missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for 10 consecutive years. Before the loss, McLellan spoke with pride as his club prepares to venture on without its former leader.
"We're the Detroit Red Wings, and that means something. We are an Original Six team. We have a lot of stuff going on around us, but we're still the Detroit Red Wings," he said. "And if it doesn't mean anything to me, or to the players in the locker room, or the trainers, or anyone else in the organization, then shame on them. They shouldn't be part of it."
Larkin, a native of Waterford, Michigan, and a 2014 first-round pick of the Red Wings, played for Team USA earlier this year at the Winter Olympics in Milan. He finished with two goals and three points en route to the gold medal.
When he arrived at camp last month, he spoke to reporters about the trade request and his participation with his teammates, saying, "I'm trying to be professional about it." When asked about the club's captaincy that was taken away from him, he explained that "I asked for a trade from the Detroit Red Wings as a captain and that has consequences. I understand why that decision was made."
Larkin has five seasons left on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed in 2023. That deal includes a no-trade clause, and he initially told the Red Wings that he would accept a move only to the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild or Vegas Golden Knights.
While the organization handles the situation, it has decided to play without a captain, and "any further discussions or decisions will be made once new hockey operations leadership is in place," the team said in a statement last month.
As the Larkin situation gained momentum last month, Detroit promoted assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff to interim GM. Horcoff, who is managing the day-to-day roster decisions, salary cap and hockey operations personnel while reporting to owner and CEO Chris Ilitch, replaced former captain Steve Yzerman, who left his role as executive vice president and GM in July.
On Friday, some disenchanted fans chanted "Sell the team!" after New York's first goal, directing their venom at Ilitch.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.