Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin scored in his season debut against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
Larkin was camped in front of Senators goaltender Sam Ersson’s net when he received a pass from Viktor Arvidsson and buried it in the back of the net to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead in the first period.
The 30-year-old centre missed the first two games of the season and a portion of training camp due to an upper-body injury.
He skated on the top line between Arvidsson and Lucas Raymond as he begins his 2026-27 campaign.
Larkin made headlines this off-season after it was revealed he requested a trade out of Detroit. He has remained with the organization and was stripped of his captaincy last month during training camp.
The 6-foot-1 forward is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $69.6 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $8.7 million.
Larkin holds a full no-trade clause and initially told the Red Wings he would only accept a deal to the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and later added the Dallas Stars.
The Waterford, Mich., native played his entire 12-season career in Detroit, recording 277 goals and 643 points in 809 games but has not played playoff hockey since his rookie season in 2015-16.
He also helped lead the United States to a gold medal at Milano Cortina 2026, the country’s first since 1980.
Detroit is 0-2-0 entering Tuesday’s action and are trying to return to the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons.