The Detroit Red Wings announced Thursday that star forward Dylan Larkin has been suspended without pay after informing the team he no longer wanted to play for the organization.
Detroit suspended Larkin hours after the 30-year-old missed morning skate and was being held out of the lineup for what was described as "trade-related" reasons, league sources told ESPN earlier Thursday. Larkin will forfeit $41,000 a day in salary during the suspension.
"To put it simply - we received a call from Dylan's agent today saying that Dylan wasn't going to be coming to the rink today and no longer wanted to be part of the Red Wings," interim general manager Shawn Horcoff told reporters Thursday.
Horcoff characterized the trade talks as "ongoing" while admitting it had been another busy day for him managing Larkin's interested suitors.
"The truth is, when you have a player of Dylan's caliber available, your phone rings daily," he said. "And my phone rang a lot today."
Larkin was already in a tenuous place with the franchise before Thursday. The Michigan native, who spent his entire career with the club that drafted in the first round in 2014, requested a trade in June. Sources told ESPN's Emily Kaplan that Larkin met with his agents, Pat Brisson and Matt Williams, Wednesday evening and determined he had enough. His decision to want out was not made in a vacuum. He believed he handled the situation professionally since making the request and that the Wings have dragged their feet.
Horcoff offered praise to the Red Wings' former captain for how he had performed over his tenure with the team - even if that wouldn't make the trade he's demanding materialize any more quickly.
"I've got to give Dylan a lot of credit; he went out and played hard for us," Horcoff said. "Dylan's been here for 12 years. In terms of [how long he's] sitting out, I can't put a timeline on it. With the teams on his list, a trade is difficult."
ESPN confirmed last week that Larkin expanded his initial list of potential destinations from three teams to 10 teams. Larkin, who has a no-trade clause, is in the fourth year of an eight-year contract that is worth $8.7 million annually.
As to whether Horcoff was caught off guard by Larkin digging in his heels, the executive couldn't deny there were signs a standoff might be coming - even if he wasn't fully prepared to see it in action.
"I will say that it was a bit of a surprise to me," Horcoff said. "[But] I think the last few days maybe on the [team's] road trip, you could sense that things were a little bit off with him and he was growing maybe a little bit more frustrated."
Thursday's news is the latest entry into what's been a lengthy saga for Larkin. The two-way center, who was a member of the first United States men's hockey team to win Olympic gold since 1980, reported to Red Wings training camp but was stripped of his team captaincy.
Larkin missed the start of the season because of an upper-body injury and had been placed on injured reserve. He was still part of the team's introductions in its home-opening loss Oct. 2 to the New York Rangers, during which he was booed by fans at Little Caesars Arena.
He returned to the lineup Oct. 6, when he had a goal and an assist in the team's 5-3 win against the Ottawa Senators. Larkin has two goals and six points through 10 games this season. Larkin, who has scored at least 30 goals six times, is also aiming for what would be a sixth straight season of more than 67 points.
Entering Thursday, the Red Wings (5-4-3) were three points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second and final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
ESPN's Emily Kaplan and Kristen Shilton contributed to this report.