Dylan Larkin spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since requesting a trade from the Detroit Red Wings but wouldn't divulge why he asked to be moved after spending his entire 11-year career with the franchise.
"I'm not ready to go there yet," Larkin said, per The Athletic's Max Bultman. "I understand that there's answers that fans and people that care about this organization around the world want to know, but I'm really not ready to go there. And it's maybe something that I may never be, you know? And it wasn't easy to get to that decision. It was very hard. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. I don't take what I did lightly, and I got to that point and I'm not quite ready to talk about it."
Larkin indicated the request had nothing to do with his teammates.
"I've tried to give them space to let it sink in, and I wish so badly I could be on the ice because that’s where the actions will follow the talking," he said. "But (the request was) not because of them. So I have spoken to them."
Larkin reported to Detroit's training camp but is not skating due to an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old showed up to camp weeks after being stripped of the Red Wings' captaincy.
"I understand why that decision was made, and I'm going to be a professional about it," Larkin said.
Larkin, who owns a full no-movement clause, reportedly told the Red Wings that he'd only accept a trade to the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, or Dallas Stars. He's under contract through 2031 at a cap hit of $8.7 million.
He denied reports about his list of teams Thursday, stating: "I stopped reading because they weren't true, and that's all I'm going to say about that."
Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch recently said the organization may not comply with Larkin's request to be traded. Detroit was without a general manager for most of the offseason after Steve Yzerman stepped down from the role. Shawn Horcoff was named his replacement on an interim basis earlier this week.
The Red Wings have missed the playoffs 10 years in a row. They're scheduled to open their preseason Sept. 21 and their regular season Oct. 2.
