Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin is coming off his first season after being named team captain last offseason, and is trending in the right direction in his recovery following a neck injury that forced him to miss the final eight games of the 2020-21 campaign thanks to a crosscheck from Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn.
During an interview with The Athletic, Larkin gave an optimistic update regarding his health and his outlook for next season.
“I feel great,” Larkin said. “Kind of a little blessing, I think, with how my summer’s been — it’s been a lot of rehab, a lot of recovery. I think I needed that.”
Larkin, who has been skating for a month now and also took part in a local Power Edge Pro camp that included several current and former teammates, is still staying on the cautious side of his recovery process, but nonetheless feels good.
“It’s something that is weekly, daily, it depends — I just have to still be cautious,” Larkin said. “I’m trying to push myself to be ready, and I think I will, but there’s still a little bit of an unknown with how everything’s going to respond. But so far, it’s looking good and I’m excited.”
Of course, next season will feature several new faces on the ice, including goaltender Alexander Nedeljkovic, forward Pius Suter, and defensemen Nick Leddy and Jordan Oesterle. Needless to say, the additions have made Detroit a better team in the eyes of pundits and fans alike, and Larkin is excited to get going.
“It’s been great,” he said. “They’re excited, we’re excited to have them. A lot of new faces, but it’s going to be exciting and they’re going to bring a great energy in, and hopefully we can continue to build on what we’ve been building the past couple years.”
“I want to be (ready for training camp), I also have to look at the long-term plan, talking to the doctors and the training staff,” Larkin said. “I want to be ready for camp, but the real important part is to be ready for Game 1 against Tampa.”
– – Quotes via Max Bultman of The Athletic Link – –
