- Todd McLellan addressed the Dylan Larkin boos after Detroit’s 2-0 loss to the Rangers
- The Red Wings coach pushed back on the idea the team set Larkin up
- Read below for McLellan’s full comments and the postgame video
Todd McLellan wants one thing understood about the Dylan Larkin boos.
The Red Wings coach was asked after Friday’s 2-0 loss to the Rangers how his team blocks out the noise, starting with Larkin getting booed during pregame introductions and the “sell the team” chants that followed. McLellan said Larkin chose to be out there.
“Dylan today being part of the team, he wanted to be out there for the ceremony. So, let me make that real clear,” McLellan said. “That’s what our team has done for 101 years now, is put the players out there. And Dylan’s explanation was, I don’t want the rest of my teammates, the ones that aren’t dressed, to not be out there. So we went out as a team, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
He didn’t pretend it was easy to watch, though.
“Obviously he’s got to live with the ramifications of asking for a trade,” McLellan said. “It’s not comfortable for anybody. I feel bad for him. I do.”
Watch McLellan’s postgame video (the Larkin question comes right around the five-minute mark):
That “real clear” line had a target. During the first intermission, the NHL on TNT panel ripped the Red Wings for how the introduction played out. Paul Bissonnette called it “bush league,” and Detroit radio host Jeff Riger relayed that Biz said Larkin tried to head down the hallway and got stopped and sent back out.
Check out the TNT segment:
McLellan’s version is the opposite. By his account, Larkin asked to stand with the other scratches so they wouldn’t be left out. As for the chants, the coach said he couldn’t make out what was going on in the stands.
Larkin is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and didn’t dress. He stood with his hands in his pockets while the crowd let him have it, then turned and walked off. Our earlier story has more on the scene inside Little Caesars Arena.
Here’s how it looked on the broadcast:
None of this came out of nowhere. Larkin requested a trade on June 4 after Detroit missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season, then lost the captaincy he’d held for six years. His list of approved destinations is up to eight teams, and owner Chris Ilitch said in September the club is in no rush to move him.
Friday’s result didn’t help the mood. Dylan Garand made 22 saves for his first NHL shutout, Sean Durzi and Eeli Tolvanen scored, and Detroit managed just two shots in the third period. McLellan admitted his team is “going to have to score some goals to win games.”
Detroit already ruled Larkin out for Sunday against the Jets, and McLellan is hoping to have him back Tuesday against Ottawa. Red Wings fans have made it clear what kind of welcome is waiting for him.
