Detroit Red Wings forward scored in his season debut against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
Larkin was camped in front of Senators goaltender Sam Ersson’s net when he received a pass from Viktor Arvidsson and buried it in the back of the net to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead in the first period.
The 30-year-old centre missed the first two games of the season and a portion of training camp due to an upper-body injury.
He skated on the top line between Arvidsson and Lucas Raymond as he begins his 2026-27 campaign.
Larkin made headlines this off-season after it was revealed he requested a trade out of Detroit. He has remained with the organization and was stripped of his captaincy last month during training camp.
The 6-foot-1 forward is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $69.6 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $8.7 million.
Larkin holds a full no-trade clause and initially told the Red Wings he would only accept a deal to the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and later added the Dallas Stars.
The Waterford, Mich., native played his entire 12-season career in Detroit, recording 277 goals and 643 points in 809 games but has not played playoff hockey since his rookie season in 2015-16.
He also helped lead the United States to a gold medal at Milano Cortina 2026, the country’s first since 1980.
Detroit is 0-2-0 entering Tuesday’s action and are trying to return to the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons.
