Dylan Larkin is only 21 years old, but the way the NHL works these days, it seems he's been around for a long time.
The Red Wings center is pacing the team in points this season, scoring seven goals and adding 28 assists in 43 games.
He has a different sense of confidence at the position the Red Wings brass wanted him to play last season, and it's echoing throughout the locker room. Larkin is a reliable, dynamic center, and he's the first to realize he's taken a big step forward this season.
"Yeah, I do. I feel comfortable, " Larkin told WXYZ after practice at Little Caesars Arena on Monday.
"I think instead of previous years, where you have a couple bad games and your whereabouts in the lineup and what position you're gonna play is what you start to question."
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The Red Wings shifted Larkin to center before his second season after his 23-goal, 22-assist rookie year He admittedly struggled in the role at first.
Larkin's outlook has changed as he's grown up and gained more experience on different stages.
"Now if I feel like I've struggled a couple games or a couple shifts even, I know that I'm gonna be back out there and be ready," Larkin said.
The third-year center added one reason for his leap forward this season: playing with good players.
Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou have shown flashes of brilliance around him. The Red Wings are only as good as the youthful stars will take them. The next era of winning in Detroit won't happen quickly if this group stalls.
"Our core and leaders are our veteran guys and they've been good consistent all year," Larkin said.
When pressed on the youth keying the potential of the team, the Waterford native first pointed out the strong goaltending the Red Wings have gotten. He's right. Jimmy Howard has been great. But the Red Wings have been a better team this season because of progress by the important, younger pieces.
"It's a team. As we win, we win together. We lose together," he said.
"There have been times where we've made youth mistakes, myself included, where sometimes it has cost us games. That's learning, and that's where you gotta look in the mirror and get better."
