For the second year in a row, Dylan Larkin will end the season on the shelf.
The Red Wings captain underwent successful core muscle surgery Monday and will miss Detroit's final six games, the club has announced. He has an expected recovery time of eight to 10 weeks.
It's a disappointing end to a bounceback season for Larkin, who finished with 69 points in 71 games, the best points-per-game pace of his career. His 31 goals are tied for 13th in the NHL among centers.
Larkin, 25, also missed the final eight games of last season due to a neck injury that forced him to spend multiple nights in the hospital. He avoided surgery in that case, but spent several weeks in a neck brace.
He wasn't so lucky in this case. He grimaced when he sat down for his post-game interview after Detroit's loss to the Panthers on Sunday, clearly in pain. Over the next few minutes, Larkin implored his teammates to take pride in the way they play down the stretch, especially in a slew of games against playoff-bound teams.
Unfortunately for Larkin, he won't be out there with them until next season.
"We have to challenge ourselves. I’ve said it a lot: someone can’t push you out the door like it’s minor hockey and give you candy after the game. You have to take pride in this," he said. "You have to take pride in wearing the winged wheel and going out there and fighting for a job next year. There’s plenty of guys in our locker room that have to do that, I would say everyone, and you have to find that yourself. It doesn’t just come. You have to find it.
"We play great teams here, let’s go out and give it our best -- and we just haven’t had enough of that. You see it at times, but we need to see it every night."