Defenseman Albert Johansson will miss the Red Wings’ home game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, and forwards Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton are still roughly two weeks from returning, coach Todd McLellan said after practice Wednesday in Detroit. McLellan also said captain Dylan Larkin’s absence from the ice was a maintenance day, not a new injury, and that he expects Larkin to play Thursday.

Larkin’s day off

Larkin’s empty spot at practice drew attention because of the trade request he made over the summer. The Athletic’s Max Bultman was the first to note that the captain wasn’t on the ice, and the absence quickly fed trade speculation before McLellan explained it. Larkin has two goals and six points in 10 games after missing the first two games of the season with an upper-body injury.

Don’t see Dylan Larkin on the ice as the Red Wings practice today.

DeBrincat Finnie Arvidsson
MBN Copp Raymond
Rasmussen Compher Danielson
Kolesar Mazur

— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) October 28, 2026

Without Larkin, the Red Wings skated Alex DeBrincat, Emmitt Finnie, and Viktor Arvidsson together on the top line, with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Andrew Copp, and Lucas Raymond on the second unit and Michael Rasmussen, J.T. Compher, and Nate Danielson on the third.

The injury list

Johansson also sat out Monday’s 4-3 shootout win in Edmonton. The team has not described the injury or given a timeline for his return.

Kasper, who is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, has not played since the season opener against the New York Rangers on Oct. 2. Appleton, also on injured reserve, has been out since Oct. 4 against his former team, the Winnipeg Jets. McLellan said both are probably two weeks away.

There was better news in goal: Daniil Tarasov practiced Wednesday after missing a week with an undisclosed injury, and McLellan said he looked good. Tarasov’s return is expected to send Michal Postava, who won his first NHL start Monday in Edmonton, back to Grand Rapids, though Detroit had not announced a move as of Wednesday night.

What’s next

The Red Wings (5-4-3) open a two-game homestand against Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Little Caesars Arena, then host the St. Louis Blues at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Sources

• Detroit Hockey Now: Larkin Absence Today Was False Alarm (Oct. 28, 2026)
• The Hockey News: Multiple Red Wings Forwards Remain Unavailable Due To Injury (Oct. 28, 2026)
• Detroit Sports Nation: Detroit Red Wings Get Bad News on Three Injured Players (Oct. 28, 2026)
• TSN: Ice Chips, Larkin absent from Red Wings practice (Oct. 28, 2026)
• Max Bultman, The Athletic (@m_bultman) on X, Oct. 28, 2026