There is no player on the Detroit Red Wings who wants more badly to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs more than team captain Dylan Larkin.
Larkin, who was named the official successor to Henrik Zetterberg as Red Wings team captain prior to the start of the 2020-21 NHL season, is the last remaining player from the Detroit squad that most recently qualified for the postseason in 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Former NHL forward Mike Rupp, who now works as an Insider for NHL Network, recently issued a direct challenge to Larkin during a segment on the League's top-20 centers - put the team on your back and get them across the finish line.
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"This might not be fair to say, but I think it speaks volumes to what I think of him as a player - I think he needs to drag this team to the playoffs," Rupp said. "I think we need to see a moment - he needs to have his moment where this guy is just out of this world. He has the ability to do it."
"I'm not putting it all on him, it's a team sport and there's a lot of tother things going on," Rupp continued. "But we have seen some other guys do that thing, find ways to drag your team into the mix. I think Dylan Larkin is a prototypical power forward, I love everything about his game. But I think the one thing lacking is his team not making the playoffs."
"I think Dylan Larkin is a prototypical power forward. I love everything about his game." - @Rupper17@JamisonCoyle | @BriBrows22 | @DetroitRedWings | #NHLTopPlayershttps://t.co/KDIabxPP2dpic.twitter.com/kiv5ZKh7af
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 22, 2025
Larkin, ranked as the NHL’s 15th-best center by the Network, has spent his entire career with the Red Wings since being drafted in 2014. The last time he and Detroit played beyond the regular season was during his 2015-16 rookie campaign, when they fell to the Lightning in a quick five-game series.
Since then, the closest they’ve come to securing a playoff berth was when they lost a tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals on the final day of the 2023-24 regular season. Larkin’s devastated demeanor after the season finale against the Montreal Canadiens, having fallen just short of the playoffs, was enough to tug at the heartstrings of even the most hardened Red Wings fans.
At times, Larkin has also appeared to voice frustration, most notably when he expressed his disappointment over no major additions being made to the roster at this most recent season's NHL Trade Deadline.
Larkin's passion for the Red Wings and his desire to win are undeniable, and he committed to see things through with the team when he inked an eight-year contract extension in 2023. There is no doubt that his ultimate career ambition is to raise the Stanley Cup as team captain of the Red Wings.
It's human nature for frustration to set in for Larkin, knowing that his time between playoff games will be no less than a full decade if the Red Wings can break their drought in the upcoming season.
It's been Larkin who has faced the media and had to answer difficult questions during their prolonged and painful losing streaks, especially during the dark days of the 2019-20 season. He wears his heart on his sleeve.
When the Red Wings finally return to the postseason, it will be a gratifying moment for Larkin, knowing that burden has been lifted, especially if he can rise to Rupp’s challenge and be the driving force in pushing Detroit over the hump.
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