Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and now Dylan Larkin.
Wednesday the Red Wings named Michigan native and their former 15th overall pick in 2014 Dylan Larkin the 37th captain in team history.
“Dylan is an extremely competitive and driven player who sets the standard for dedication and conduct for the Red Wings,” Yzerman said in a statement. “This is the right time to name our new captain and we’re certain Dylan is ready to take on the responsibility. He will be an outstanding leader for us, both on and off the ice.”
Detroit Free Press
According to Helen St. James, the original plan was to name Larkin the captain prior to the 2019-20 season. However, that was during a time when Ken Holland was running the front office and when Steve Yzerman came into the job he wanted to get to know the team he captained throughout his entire career and the players better. It was during that time Yzerman and Larkin “bonded” and fittingly enough The Captain named the next captain.
“I’ve enjoyed my conversations with him and our discussions about hockey and our team throughout the season,” Yzerman said last May. “I am very impressed with him. I think being a member of the Wings and improving this team is very important for Dylan, and he takes it seriously. He’s an excellent player for us, he’s a very important player.”
Detroit Free Press
The 24-year-old Larkin was the obvious choice too. Like Yzerman himself Larkin is has demonstrated an incredible combination of leadership and talent.
This also may have been one of the worst kept secrets with the Red Wings.
But despite Larkin being the defacto captain since Zetterberg called it a career and officially naming Larkin simply being a formality at this point, it’s still nice to see the Red Wings publicly establish a bit of an identity that has been lost in these past few dark seasons.
