Dylan Larkin spoke to the media prior to Steve Yzerman’s remarks on Friday afternoon, and MLive’s Ansar Khan noted that Larkin is not discouraged because the Wings did not name him their captain:
“In our locker room I can assure you that leadership is not a problem,” Larkin said. “I’m extremely happy for Luke [Glendening]. It’s well deserved. But you could look at 10 guys that could wear ‘A’s’ on our team and could wear ‘C’s.’
“They (coaches and management) know what they’re doing. I’m not disappointed at all. A new manager where we’re all looking to impress him and take a step in the right direction for our organization.”
Larkin and Yzerman spoke a couple of weeks ago.
“It wasn’t negative at all. It was encouraging,” Larkin said. “We talked a lot about how to be a pro even more, to look at the guys who have led on our team before, what I can do to be an all-around leader. For me it’s exciting to have conversations like that where it’s someone who’s been through it and someone that’s done it very well. Having conversations like that is invaluable to my career and something that I’m excited and grateful for.”
He doesn’t view it as a slight and doesn’t need any more incentive.
“I want to win. I want to play well. I want to represent the city, my teammates and the fans and my family as well as I can,” Larkin said. “I’m a driven person. I want to be great. I want this team to be great. I want to have a great season. I’m motivated to take this team to where we need to be.”
