Dylan Larkin injury update: Latest news on Red Wings captain after being knocked unconscious from hit to head

Dylan Larkin injury update: Latest news on Red Wings captain after being knocked unconscious from hit to head

It was a scary sight in Motor City on Saturday, as Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was knocked unconscious during the team’s loss to the Senators.

Larkin left Detroit’s 5-1 defeat to Ottawa after taking two hits simultaneously to the head, and did not return. The team did not give any indication as to what the injury might be.

Saturday night was supposed to be a night of celebration for the Red Wings, as newly signed star Patrick Kane was making his long-awaited return to the ice after offseason hip surgery. However, the Detroit faithful at Little Caesars Arena were left in stunned silence watching their captain lay motionless on the ice.

The Red Wings have been a pleasant surprise this season, and Larkin has played a major role in that. The Detroit center has been a point-per-game player for the Winged Wheel, recording 11 goals and 25 points in 24 games.

MORE: Why Patrick Kane signed with the Red Wings

Here are the latest injury updates on Larkin:

Dylan Larkin injury update

Larkin was hurt with 6:10 to play in the first period between the Red Wings and the Senators. During a battle in front of Ottawa’s net, Larkin was sandwiched between two Senators, taking contact both to the front and back of the head.

First, Senators forward Mathieu Joseph appeared to cross check Larkin in the back of the head, causing the Detroit center to fall forward. As Larkin was leaning over, Senators forward Parker Kelly ran into him as well, hitting him in the face with his stick.

Larkin lay motionless on the ice for a couple of minutes as he was attended to by the training staff. He eventually got up and left the ice under his own power, grabbing at his head.

Joseph and Kelly each were handed two-minute minors for roughing, while Red Wings forward David Perron was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure as a result of cross-checking Senators defenseman Artem Zub after seeing Larkin on the ice.

“It’s a really tough look seeing him passed out on the ice, unconscious,” Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde said. “The refs probably did the right thing in taking the five-minute call in order to be able to review it and communicate extremely well. They probably did a really good job with that situation, all considering.

“He called the original five, they’re allowed to review it. He had exactly what he called — two hits to the head, high-sticks on them, and (Perron) with the five-minute major. So again, I thought considering the circumstances, I thought both refs handled it extremely well, communicated well, and we moved on from it.”

The NHL Player Safety department said Sunday that Perron has been offered an in-person hearing regarding the play, which gives the league the option to suspend him for more than five games.

Red Wings forward Christian Fischer ended up dropping the gloves with Joseph later in the third period, sticking up for his captain.

“I think all 21 guys would have done the same thing in our room,” Fischer said. “Obviously wanted to wait a second there — we had nine forwards. There was probably multiple opportunities to do that earlier, but didn’t want to go down to (eight) forwards.”

It’s not the first incident involving Larkin and Joseph. During a game in October of 2021, Joseph, then with the Lightning, cross-checked Larkin, who retaliated by throwing a punch at the opposing player. Larkin received a one-game suspension for his actions.

What is Dylan Larkin’s injury?

As of late Saturday night, Larkin was still being evaluated by the team’s training staff. Lalonde did not have an update after the game and said he had not had a chance to talk to Larkin.

“It’s scary for everybody in the rink when you see somebody unconscious,” Detroit defenseman Ben Chiarot said after the game. “Hard to watch, especially when it’s your friend and captain. Scary for his family when you see someone down like that. A lot of different emotions.”

Larkin has a history of head and neck injuries. In April of 2021, he suffered a season-ending neck injury after he was cross-checked from behind by Star captain Jamie Benn. Larkin was forced to wear a cervical hard collar for eight weeks while he recovered from the injury.