Thursday was supposed to be a celebration of sorts for Dylan Larkin, whose childhood dream looks like a reality after signing an eight-year extension with the Red Wings on Wednesday. It felt more like a funeral. Larkin even talked about grieving. Shortly before sitting down in front of the media to discuss his new $70 million deal, Larkin learned his longtime linemate and one of his best friends had been traded. While Larkin is staying in Detroit, Tyler Bertuzzi is off to Boston -- where he'll try to help a division rival win the Cup.
For Larkin, the news came via a phone call from his fiance on his drive to the rink for Thursday's morning skate. It must have felt like spinning off the road at top speed. Less than 24 hours after securing a life-changing payday from his childhood team, here was the other side of the business yanking Larkin back down to earth. He was asked about Bertuzzi's departure less than a minute into his press conference.
And he couldn't get through his answer without swallowing a lump in his throat and wiping tears from his eyes.
"Really difficult. That one, with how this season has gone, especially for Bert and with the position our team’s in now, it hurts. He’s one of my best friends," said Larkin, and now he turned away from the cameras and took several seconds to compose himself. "It hurts."
Larkin, 26, and Bertuzzi, 28, came of age together in Detroit. Larkin arrived in 2015, Bertuzzi in 2016 and they became a near inseparable duo over the next several years. Larkin was the one who sometimes made the game look easy, Bertuzzi the one who seemed to relish that it was hard. They had each other's backs. They helped each other grow. Larkin assisted on 39 goals for Bertuzzi, Bertuzzi on 41 for Larkin. Together, they endured the worst of the Red Wings' rebuild. Until recently, they always thought they'd emerge on the other side.
But with Bertuzzi headed for free agency and talks on an extension with the Red Wings at a standstill amid a season in which he's been hindered by two hand injuries that required surgery, it became clear he could be nearing the end of his road in Detroit. He reached it on Thursday. Asked what he'll miss most about Bertuzzi, Larkin paused at the scope of his own answer and said, "A lot."
"I think just the way he plays," he said. "He’s very unique in his style. I've said it many times, it doesn’t look pretty but it’s highly effective. His stick’s flying everywhere and the hair’s flying everywhere and he always comes up with a big toothless smile and always the first one to laugh if something happens. And you saw it last game in Ottawa, he was the first guy to jump in there and protect me.
"So yeah, it’s going to be tough. I’ve always really loved playing with him and feel like I’m at my best playing with him. But he’s going to a team where they’re loading up for war, and there’s no one I’d rather have on my team than Tyler Bertuzzi in that situation."
The trade itself wasn't all that shocking to Larkin, "truthfully not as surprising" as Wednesday's Filip Hronek trade, he said. But the timing of it all was jarring, from a high to a low, from "talking to Tyler yesterday and him being happy for me, and then seeing him this morning and he was upset and I am, too," Larkin said. And with the Kraken in town Thursday night, Larkin has no choice but to gear up for a game as the Red Wings try to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive. That's what captains do.
"I’m not going to lie to you guys, you can see it, it’s really difficult right now," he said. "It’s going to be hard, but we're going to have to come to the rink tonight and forget about it. Not totally, but I’m going to have come back and play a hockey game. The message this morning, we had a team meeting, and what happened with the two guys being moved can’t really affect what we’re trying to do. And if it does, you gotta take your own time to grieve. But we're trying to win hockey games right now."
Larkin isn't seeking sympathy after landing the contract of a lifetime. The same machine that sent his best friend packing is the one that got him paid. He understands that. Still, he called "the last 24 hours one of the hardest days" of his career, even as he got the deal he's always dreamed of. Reality is always a phone call away. Larkin's future is settled and his contract is in the past, along with Bertuzzi. There's nowhere to move but forward in Detroit.
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker