Dylan Larkin Is Officially Ghosting the Red Wings Until He Gets Traded

Dylan Larkin has officially reached the "I'm not mad, I'm just not putting on my skates" phase of his trade request.

According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, Larkin's camp informed the Detroit Red Wings that he will not play tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, nor will he suit up for the foreseeable future. The message was simple: he asked for a trade back in May, and his patience has officially expired.

"Pierre LeBrun reported that Larkin feels he's given the team ample time since his trade request in May to get a deal done."

You have to respect the sheer audacity of the timeline here. Larkin gave the front office nearly six months to figure out a deal. That is half a calendar year of waiting for your boss to transfer you to a new branch before you finally just stop showing up to the morning meetings.

The immediate fallout hits the ice tonight. Detroit is coming off a decent 2-1 Western Canada road trip, but losing your top center hours before puck drop against Chicago is a nightmare for the lineup card. If you were eyeing any Red Wings player props or team totals for this evening, you might want to hit refresh on those numbers.

LeBrun reports that the situation remains fluid and Detroit is frantically circling back to teams with interest to escalate talks. This is exactly what happens when a front office tries to slow-play a star player's exit. The leverage completely flips the second the guy decides his couch is more appealing than the locker room.

Now the clock is ticking at warp speed. Detroit has to find a deal before this standoff derails their early season, and Larkin has to hope his strike forces a move rather than a prolonged staring contest. Until a trade drops, the Red Wings are down a captain, and the NHL trade market just got a massive jolt of adrenaline.