Detroit — Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing abdominal muscle surgery, the team announced Monday.
The Wings, who did not practice Monday, have six regular season games remaining.
The team says Larkin’s timeline should be between eight and 10 weeks for a full recovery and he should be ready in time for training camp. The procedure was performed at McLaren Hospital in Lansing by Dr. Troy Ferguson.
Larkin, 25, has played 71 games this season, scoring 31 goals and 38 assists for 69 points. The final total of goals and points will be just short of his career highs set in 2018-19 (32 goals, 73 points).
The individual success — Larkin was the Wings’ representative in the NHL All-Star Game this season — has been admirable given that Larkin has had to overcome a series of difficulties.
It started last summer when Larkin underwent rigorous rehabilitation after being cross-checked on the neck by Dallas forward Jamie Benn during a game last April.
Larkin made it through training camp and exhibition season, but in the regular season opener he threw a retaliatory punch at Mathieu Joseph (then with Tampa), earning Larkin a suspension of one game.
In early November, Larkin missed three games, when he left the team due to a family emergency.
Larkin has been dealing with the issue for about the last month or so, missing numerous out-of-game practices. Still, Larkin hadn’t missed a game.
The Wings’ second-half slide in the standings seemed to gradually hurt Larkin, especially the one-sided losses over the weekend to the New York Rangers and Florida.
Larkin called it “brutal” to miss the playoffs for a sixth straight season.
“Yes, I take it personally. It’s… it’s brutal, you know? Larkin said after Sunday’s loss to Florida. “I’ve been here for the six years (that the Wings missed the playoffs) and it’s not fun to pack up at the end of the year, go play at the world championships or do anything. That’s just not the case. You want to play playoff hockey.
Larkin, 25, will enter the final season of a five-year contract, worth $30.5 million – with a cap of $6.1 million – next season.
The Wings called forward Chase Pearson from Grand Rapids to replace Larkin on the roster.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan
