The Free Press’s Helene St. James gave an interview to WDET 101.9 FM’s Pat Bactcheller, and, over the course of the 6:47 interview, she addresses the Red Wings’ quiet summer, Simon Edvinsson’s situation, Dylan Larkin’s situation, and her bottom line speaks volumes:

Whether anyone wants Yzerman’s old job remains to be seen. St. James says the Larkin situation has tarnished the image of an Original Six team that won four Stanley Cups between 1997 and 2008.

“It’s just hard to understand how such a proud franchise could have gotten to this point.”

Continued; I try to play it straight, honestly, especially given how dire the atmosphere is around the Red Wings right now, but I’m as frustrated and dismayed as the rest of you are. I’m just trying to keep a stiff upper lip while the franchise flounders.

The Red Wings open the 2026-2027 season with 7 of their first 8 games held at Little Caesars Arena, and as such, the Wings feel that it’s imperative to get off to a strong start. Coach Todd McLellan and Alex DeBrincat spoke with the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan regarding the opportunities which lie before them:

McLellan coined the term “Early Urgency” before training camp, and the start of this season, with the home heavy schedule, plays into that.

“It’s a chance to put our game together at home,” McLellan said. “Fatigue shouldn’t be a factor. We’re not traveling all over the place. We should have good practice time. We should feel good about being in our home building, in front of our fans, and I’d like to see some real good positive results.”

Alex DeBrincat said it’s important for the Wings to play well on home ice.

“We have to be ready to defend home ice, that’s something we have to do well this season,” DeBrincat said. “It’s an important stretch for us. We want to start strong and get the confidence. It’s great to have all those home games.”

DeBrincat, who led the Wings with 41 goals last season, is skating on a line with Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond, a line that is completely new given Larkin’s absence and the fact Patrick Kane has moved on to Chicago. Kane and DeBrincat were longtime linemates.

“I feel good with those two (Copp, Raymond),” DeBrincat said. “I feel we work hard and get pucks back and create off that. Both of those guys are so skilled. I feel good about us.”

Continued (paywall)

From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

DETROIT REASSIGNS GYLANDER TO TOLEDO

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Thursday reassigned goaltender Carter Gylander to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye from the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Griffins will begin the AHL’s regular season tomorrow when they travel to Rocket Arena to face the Cleveland Monsters at 7 p.m.

Amongst MLive’s Ansar Khan’s practice notes are an update regarding Dylan Larkin’s status as out for at least the first two games due to an upper-body injury, a listing of the Red Wings’ likely lines for tomorrow night’s game, this about defenseman Andreas Englund…

Defenseman Andreas Englund, claimed off waivers from Calgary on Saturday, hasn’t skated the past two days due to immigration issues, which McLellan expects will be resolved soon.

“Swedes have to go to Canada to get their immigration done to come to the U.S. and Canada yesterday had a national holiday, so their offices were closed,” McLellan said. “He should have it in his hand today and be back late tonight if everything goes well.”

And this about tomorrow’s game-day festivities:

The Red Wings announced their annual Red Carpet Walk outside Little Caesars Arena before the home-opener. Fan arrival starts at 2:30 and it’s complimentary for anyone with or without game tickets.

Attendees can interact with Red Wings players and coaches and get autographs on the red carpet.

This is pretty cool. Red Wings prospect Max Plante is one of two University of Minnesota-Duluth players who will be spending his post-Christmas holiday playing against European and some North American pro hockey players in the Spengler Cup:

Ty Hanson and Max Plante Named to U.S. Collegiate Select 2026 Roster

More on Hanson and Plante: https://t.co/eZ2D2Nipae pic.twitter.com/yqzjsdzfaz

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) October 1, 2026

Per Minnesota-Duluth’s athletic website:

NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika posted a report about Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin’s unavailability for the first two games of Detroit’s regular season…

Dylan Larkin is out for the Detroit Red Wings’ first two games of the season due to an upper-body injury, coach Todd McLellan said Thursday.

The Red Wings hope he will return against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday after missing the season opener against the New York Rangers on Friday (6:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN1) and another home game against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

“He’s working with the training staff to push through,” McLellan said. “I’m hoping Game 3.”

Larkin, Detroit’s No. 1 center, requested a trade after last season and lost the captaincy entering this season, but he reported to training camp. He could not participate at first due to an upper-body injury sustained in offseason training.

“I got hurt in the gym working out, and I’m pushing to get healthy, and I want to be out there,” Larkin said Sept. 17, the first day of camp. “This is very unfortunate timing. I wish I could show with my actions how to build trust with my teammates again.”

Larkin went through some drills but did not take line rushes in practice Thursday.

And the Free Press’s Helene St. James wondered aloud whether Larkin might be skirting the pressure of dealing with player introductions during the home opener:

All players are usually introduced as part of opening night traditions, with injured players and healthy scratches coming out on the bench rather than the ice. But given the controversy surrounding Larkin after he asked the team to trade him, that could be courting a spirited reaction from fans.

Teammates would just like to have him in their lineup again.

“We need him as a player, and I think that’s what matters the most,” Moritz Seider said. “There will be questions along the way, but I think that’s between him and management, nothing really we can control, And then looking from the teammate and friend perspective, obviously we want him here and he can really help our team, so the more comfortable he feels with the situation, the better we are.”

So the Red Wings practiced on Thursday ahead of Friday’s home opener against the New York Rangers (6:30 PM EDT start on TNT/97.1 FM), and Ben Chiarot missed practice, but is okay; Dylan Larkin has been ruled out for the first two games.

After practice, Alex DeBrincat and coach Todd McLellan spoke with the assembled media…

And the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a 3:22 practice report in which Moritz Seider and Alex DeBrincat about shifting focus to playing in regular season games.

Update: Here’s St. James’ report in YouTube form:

The Red Wings held their final off-day practice ahead of tomorrow night’s season opener vs. the New York Rangers (6:30 PM EDT start on TNT/97.1 FM), and Dylan Larkin (upper-body injury), Ben Chiarot (?) and Simon Edvinsson (contractual issues) were absent from said practice.

After their skate, the Wings’ players and coach spoke with the media…

McLellan says Larkin is out for both Friday and Sunday

— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) October 1, 2026

Per McLellan, Dylan Larkin ruled out for Red Wings season opener on Oct. 2 vs NYR and Sunday vs Winnipeg. Missed all preseason with upper-body injury.

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) October 1, 2026

McLellan said Larkin out first two games. Hoping for Game 3.

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 1, 2026

Dylan Larkin out Friday and Sunday #RedWings

— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) October 1, 2026

Chiarot minor injury, should be fine for opener, per McLellan https://t.co/5wUqP0XC5A

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) October 1, 2026

Todd McLellan said Dylan Larkin will be out this weekend – both Friday and Sunday. #LGRW

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) October 1, 2026

JUST IN: Dylan Larkin is OUT for the Red Wings first two games, Todd McLellan announced.

McLellan said they “hope” he could return for the third game, and he is working with the trainers. pic.twitter.com/lsISGXhaYS

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 1, 2026

#RedWings McLellan said Chiarot is a little banged up but should be good to go for tomorrow.

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 1, 2026

Casino.org reached out to me this morning with some comments made by Frank Seravalli regarding the Red Wings’ situation with Dylan Larkin, as made in an article that Seravalli is working on presently.

Among the Seravalli’s remarks:

On the state of trade talks, an NHL GM told Seravall that Detroit have simply been “unrealistic” given the circumstances, stating; “they have essentially asked for a younger version of Dylan Larkin back. Even if someone had it, who is giving that up?”

Seravalli also revealed that another rival NHL GM interested in acquiring Larkin said the “Red Wings have refused to define what they are seeking in return in trade talks.”

On the uncertainty surrounding Larkin’s injury ahead of Detroit’s season opener, Seravalli said: “The Red Wings reiterated to me this week twice that Larkin has an injury. That hasn’t stopped other league sources from speculating. The longer Larkin sits out without transparency, the more eyebrows will be raised.

“If he is injured, would that hamper his quest for a trade? Perhaps. It depends on the severity; the Red Wings have not given a timeline for Larkin’s potential return to the lineup. Larkin has been well enough to participate in some parts of practice without much noted progress over the last two-plus weeks.”

Seravalli then added: “A working theory is that the Red Wings have placated Larkin’s desire to sit out, it is mutually beneficial to protect him from injury, and they are not contesting payment of his $8 million salary in an attempt to keep the situation amicable for now.”

Before one NHL executive told Seravalli: “I think it probably should be pointed out that Detroit is only clearing the salary cap floor by $1.6 million with Larkin on the books. Paying him for now works for everyone.”

Many thanks to Casino.org for reaching out.

This post is just going to be a summary as I’ve been doing bedpan duties over the past hour:

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas discuss many topics over the course of today’s episode of 32 Thoughts, including a significant update on the Dylan Larkin situation at the 20-minute mark of the podcast…

And this just popped up:

EARLY TRADING – @PierreVLeBrun on Simon Edvinsson, Quinn Hughes, coaches on expiring contracts and Hockey Canada’s search for a new (best-on-best team) GM: https://t.co/izALdamadn

Watch an expanded Insider Trading later today on SportsCentre & https://t.co/fEgdezDUaw pic.twitter.com/ex9aW7B7Qg

— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) October 1, 2026