Dylan Larkin made his first appearance on the ice at training camp with the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.
If things keep going in the right direction, Larkin could return to game action in Detroit's pre-season finale on Saturday against Columbus , Red Wings coach Todd McLellan told reporters, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
Larkin, 30, reported to camp with an upper-body injury, keeping him off the ice.
It continued a dramatic off-season for Larkin, who requested a trade in the summer while Steve Yzerman still was in charge of hockey operations.
The Red Wings, who later promoted Shawn Horcoff to interim general manager and shifted Yzerman to a senior adviser role, stripped Larkin of his captaincy before camp.
Larkin has five seasons left on the eight-year, $69.6-million contract he signed in 2023. That deal includes a no-trade clause and he initially told the Red Wings he would only accept a move to Florida, Minnesota or Las Vegas.
He has played his entire NHL career in Detroit, which took the former Michigan star with No. 15 draft pick in 2014. The centre ranks 10th in franchise history in scoring with 643 points. Larkin was an important role player for the United States when it won the Olympic gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games in February.
— With files from AP
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