"I Know I Have a Next Level": Dylan Larkin Eyeing Healthy Season

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin logged one of his most explosive seasons, breaking point-per-game pace for the first time in his career with 69 points in 68 games. Entering the 2024-25 season, Larkin feels he has more in the tank.

"I know I have a next level," Larkin said Thursday at the opening day of Red Wings training camp. "I would like to see what I can do. I'd like to be a dominant player like I have been when I'm healthy. And that's a big thing for me is staying healthy this year and trying to dominate."

Key to reaching the next level, Larkin has to remain healthy. He missed a total of 14 games last season, with two extended absences due to significant injuries. While he's healthy now, maintaining his health is imperative to being dominant on the ice.

Larkin went through two separate injuries that kept him out for significant stretches last season. In a game against Ottawa Dec. 9, Senators forward Mathieu Joseph knocked Larkin unconscious with a cross-check, a scary injury that forced the Red Wing out of four games. Then, in a March 2 game against the Florida Panthers, Larkin suffered a lower-body injury. He missed eight games due to that injury, at an inopportune time as the crescendo of the playoff race neared.

Even facing these health concerns during the season, Larkin was still an impact player on both sides of the puck. He was a particularly effective offensive dynamo, especially on a first line with Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. That trio skated together the first day of training camp, finding their chemistry once again.

As part of this line and as an individual player, Larkin's importance to Detroit cannot be overstated. The Red Wings missed the playoffs by a single point last season. It isn't unrealistic to think they might have made it in if he were healthy for more games.

Before arriving in Traverse City, Larkin said his offseason training didn't differ too much from his usual schedule. He did have an upper-body surgery during the summer — not a terribly significant one, but surgery nonetheless — that he had to recover from. But even if he faced such tough injury luck last season and had to commit time to repair and recovery, Larkin didn't let this hold back his training.

"I actually was probably a little bit more intense this summer, but I think (I) just approach it the same every year," Larkin said about his offseason. "I've been around for a bit now and know what my body needs, and really it's about maintenance throughout the year, putting yourself in a good spot on the ice. Not putting yourself in a bad spot."

Part of Larkin's regimen included working out at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth with a who's-who of NHL stars. The groups included teammates Andrew Copp, Ville Husso and DeBrincat, among others.

Even if he's in position to have a big season, Larkin knows that some things are out of his own influence. He quickly mentioned that there's a certain luck factor to injuries that he can't control. He also feels that, despite recent injury history, he has enjoyed relative health compared to what some other players face. For that, he's thankful.

"I don't want to make a big deal about it," Larkin said. "I feel that I've been — knock on wood — very healthy throughout my career and I would like to stay that way. It's just the small stuff. And I'm more than capable of playing through it but hopefully it's just a good year."

If it is a good year, it's clear that health will be of high importance for Larkin. If he stays healthy for most of the season, then Larkin could eclipse even his best seasons to date.

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