Larkin was loudly booed by fans at Little Caesars Arena when he was introduced on the video board with the other players who did not dress for the game.
Larkin gave a small wave, then left the player bench to return to the locker room before his other teammates were introduced.
Larkin drew the ire of Red Wings fans after he requested a trade from the team in the spring, after the team missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season.
Then-general manager Steve Yzerman didn’t complete a trade, however, and in mid-July he was removed from his post. The team has yet to hire a replacement, with Shawn Horcoff elevated to interim general manager in mid-September.
The Red Wings stripped Larkin of the captaincy before training camp but he did not participate in any pre-season games due to an upper-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve on Friday, but has been skating with the team at practice.
“I asked for a trade from the Detroit Red Wings as a captain and that has consequences,” Larkin said in mid-September during his only media availability since requesting a trade. “I understand why that decision was made.”
Horcoff spoke to local reporters earlier Friday but didn’t have much of an update on Larkin trade talks.
“We want him to get healthy; he’s making great progress, skating with the team,” Horcoff said, according to The Athletic. “We think he’s close and once he is healthy, our priority is getting him back on the ice.”
Larkin isn’t the only major unfinished business the Red Wings are dealing with. Top-pair defenceman Simon Edvinsson is back home in Sweden without a contract as a restricted free agent.
Horcoff was asked about Edvinsson’s status on Friday and said, “He remains a priority.”
“We’re doing everything (we) can, working closely with the agents. He’s a big part of our club and we’d like to get him signed,” the interim GM added. “But the details of the negotiation, we’ll keep private between us, out of respect for Simon and his group, and we can comment on all of that when it’s all said and done.”
