- Ansar Khan says the Larkin-Yzerman rift goes back nearly a decade
- Detroit left the captaincy empty for over two years after Zetterberg retired
- Read below for how the old grudge ties into Larkin’s trade request
Dylan Larkin’s problem with Steve Yzerman didn’t start with a trade request. It started with a letter.
Red Wings insider Ansar Khan says the rift between Larkin and Yzerman traces back nearly a decade, to the stretch Detroit left its captaincy empty after Henrik Zetterberg walked away. Khan laid it out on the Jason Gregor Show, and the report lands differently now that Yzerman is gone.
Zetterberg retired in 2018. Larkin didn’t get the “C” until January 2021. That gap sat open for more than two years, and Khan believes the wait stuck with Larkin more than the team ever let on.
We stacked the two faces of the story side by side:
One wrinkle complicates the blame. Zetterberg had already been retired a full season when Yzerman took over as general manager in April 2019, and Detroit still sat on the call deep into his tenure before handing Larkin the job.
All of this resurfaced because Yzerman no longer runs the team. Detroit moved him into a senior advisor role last week and started the search for a new general manager.
Larkin asked out during the playoffs and hasn’t softened since. Yzerman played hardball, the market stalled, and Detroit held firm on its price right up until the front office shakeup.
Now the next GM inherits a captain who wants out and a grudge that predates the whole standoff. Whoever gets the chair has to fix a relationship that, per Khan, was cracked long before anyone said the word trade.
