The first two centers are injured in Detroit: The CH must take advantage of this.

Marc-Olivier Cook
The first two centers are injured in Detroit: The CH must take advantage of this.
Credit: Capture d'écran / X

Bad news in Detroit.

The Red Wings will have to do without their top two centers (Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp) for at least the next two weeks.

Larkin and Copp are suffering from injuries and, according to the club's head coach, Todd McLellan, they could also miss more than two weeks of action. Ouch.

— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) March 12, 2026

Obviously, with the playoffs just a few weeks away, this is a big blow to the club.

The Wings are still in first place in the Wild Card standings and would make the playoffs if they started tonight… but with just under 20 games left in the regular season, things could change quickly in the East.

Especially with teams like Columbus and Ottawa pushing hard right now to qualify.

The Wings, who are 4-5-1 in their last ten games, will have to find a way to regroup without Copp and Larkin… but it's going to be tough. 

(Credit: NHL.com)

One man's misfortune is another man's fortune, right?

I say that because it may be the Canadiens who will benefit from this news. Obviously, no one can be happy to see two guys injured… but for the Habs, it might give them some breathing room because the Wings are also in the Atlantic Division.

And it's also worth mentioning that since the start of the season, Detroit has been causing problems for the Canadiens when you look at the standings. We didn't necessarily expect the Wings to be so competitive in 25-26, but they're having a surprising season nonetheless…

It's too early, of course, to come to any official conclusions.

But one thing is certain: the Red Wings will have to work hard over the next two weeks to win games without Larkin and Copp, who are two very important players on the team.

They will have to beat…

  • The Lightning (tonight)
  • The Stars (Saturday)
  • The Flames (March 16)
  • The Canadiens (March 19)
  • The Bruins (March 21)
  • The Senators (March 24)
  • The Sabres (March 27)

Again, it's going to be tough.


In a nutshell

– Let's go!

– Note.

— It's close.

– Treatment day for Laurent Dauphin.

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