NHL.com is going to list its top 20 players at each position over the course of 9 specials on the NHL Network, and NHL.com’s David Satriano reports that Dylan Larkin didn’t quite make the cut, instead earning an “honorable mention”:
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
In his fourth NHL season, Larkin led the Red Wings in goals (32), assists (41), points (73) and penalty minutes (75), and scored seven power-play goals and two shorthanded goals in 21:51 of ice time, best among Detroit forwards. The 23-year-old also won 54.5 percent of face-offs and was the first Red Wings player to score at least 30 goals since Marian Hossa (40), Johan Franzen (34), Pavel Datsyuk (32) and Henrik Zetterberg (31) in 2008-09.
“You weren’t sure if he was going to be a centerman when he first started,” [Mike] Johnson said. “You weren’t sure if he was going to be able to slow the game down to deal with all those responsibilities, but he can. He’s the go-to guy for Detroit offensively and he is OK with that. He’s a new-age player with all the speed that he can play with. All aspects of his game have grown. He should be a fixture on this list for the next several years.”
