Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said Dylan Larkin is still working his way back to full speed after an upper-body injury kept the center out of training camp, the preseason, and Detroit’s first two regular-season games. McLellan’s comments were reported Monday by Detroit Hockey Now and The Hockey News, a day before the Red Wings open a western road trip in Seattle.

McLellan said he had not been told of any lingering injury by Larkin or the team’s trainers. His concern was what Larkin missed: the injury, which Detroit Hockey Now reported happened during a late-summer workout, took away the skating players usually do before camp, when the pace and contact pick up. “He had none of that, so he’s playing catch-up,” McLellan said.

The coach also saw signs of progress. “I think he’s starting to skate better,” he told Detroit Hockey Now. He called it a difficult way for a top center to rejoin a lineup, but said he expects Larkin’s game to improve as he settles in.

Six games in

Larkin has a goal and two assists in six games. He scored and added an assist in his season debut, a 5-3 win over Ottawa on Oct. 6, and had an assist in the 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Oct. 15. He has gone five straight games without a goal, and The Hockey News noted several uncharacteristic turnovers in that stretch.

The comments come with Larkin’s future in Detroit still unsettled. He addressed his trade request on the first day of training camp in September, and the Red Wings have not announced any deal. Reports on Detroit’s asking price, including TSN’s Darren Dreger’s report last week, remain unconfirmed by the team.

Next: The Red Wings (3-3-2) visit the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday at 9:40 p.m. Eastern at Climate Pledge Arena, then play at Vancouver on Thursday and at Calgary on Saturday.

Sources

• Detroit Hockey Now (Bob Duff): Red Wings’ Larkin needs to get going, but he’s not going to Montreal
• The Hockey News (Michael Whitaker): “He’s playing catch-up”: Todd McLellan on Dylan Larkin’s first six games
• Detroit Red Wings: Larkin addresses trade request on Day 1 of training camp
• The Hockey Writers: Red Wings week ahead, schedule and storylines
• The Hockey News: Red Wings ready to flip the script in Kraken rematch on Tuesday