Wing Wednesday: How Dylan Larkin's speed is opening new shooting lanes for Alex DeBrincat

The Red Wings top line took a couple periods to click, but have been dominant since Game 2 against the Lightning.

About seven months ago Dylan Larkin had one of the more bizarre press conferences I’ve covered.

He had just signed an eight-year extension with the Detroit Red Wings, committing to seeing out the remainder of the Yzerplan, and had secured additional generational wealth for his family.

But in between signing the extension and his first meeting with the media, the Red Wings committed to punting on the 2022-23 season and signed Tyler Bertuzzi, one of Larkin’s best friends, to the Boston Bruins.

Instead of a celebratory press conference, which typically come after contract extensions, it was a somber one with Larkin struggling to hold back tears at times.

In the big picture, it was the right move at the time for Detroit and the Red Wings are better for it today. But that doesn’t change the in-the-moment pain for a team captain, it’s why players are paid to live in the here and now, and GMs must do whatever is possible to live in a time machine that manages present and future goals.

And Steve Yzerman used the additional first-round pick acquired from Boston to help swing a deal for Alex DeBrincat, who he then signed to a four-year deal with $7.87 million per season.

There haven’t been any tears about that aspect of it.

After struggling to connect in the preseason and in Game 1 against the New Jersey Devils, DeBrincat and Larkin have been on a tear in the past two games, ripping apart both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the not-so-good Columbus Blue Jackets.

Both have been point-per-game players, and Larkin leads Detroit with 18 shots in three games. As I discussed as a guest on the Hockey PDOcast on Tuesday, Larkin has been playing at another level to start the season.