The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article which discusses Dylan Larkin’s offensive renaissance with the Red Wings this season, a season in which Larkin has persevered through adversity:
This season hasn’t gone completely smoothly, either. Larkin was suspended for a game after sucker-punching Tampa’s Mathieu Joseph — after Joseph had boarded Larkin — and Larkin missed a week in November for personal reasons. Larkin also was pulled from a game after two periods after testing positive for COVID-19 — only to find out it was a “false-positive” the next day. Through it all, Larkin has persevered.
“It’s not been easy,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “It has been a lot of stops and starts in terms of games he’s been in and not been able to play. He’s done a really good job of staying focused on what he can control and that’s his effort level and his output in games.”
One thing last season did teach Larkin was controlling only what a person can control, and attempting to let go of the stuff you can’t.
“The highs and lows of this league, they’re pretty dramatic at times,” Larkin said after the COVID scare. “Especially if you let them, and at times I feel like I’ve really let them get to me. This year I really worked on not letting that happen, whether it’s going well or it’s not. Whether things come into your life and take you out of the lineup for a week, or you can’t play a third period, I’m really just trying not to let it get to me and be grateful that I’m here.”
