Everyone questioned Dylan “D-Boss” Larkin after his sophomore season.

“The league figured him out,” they said.

“He’s a 2nd line centre at best,” they said.

2017-18 was Dylan Larkin’s third full season in the NHL and there was a lot of pressure on him to perform up to the potential he showed in his rookie season. He thrived under that pressure and not only met the expectations put on him, but exceeded them.

Larkin’s PET chart is a bit of a mixed bag and a little misleading. He was snake bitten in the goal scoring department, posting a shooting percentage of 4.6% as late as March 17th. After March 17th, Larkin scored 7 goals on 36 shots for a 19.4 shooting percentage.

He made up for his lack of goals all season with above average playmaking. His assist and shot assist metrics were both above league average. Ultimately, it was his playmaking that pushed him to the 60 point milestone.

As for defense, Larkin was Detroit’s best two-way player. His goals against and shots against metrics were below average, but Detroit’s defense was a big contributor to this. As a team, they were far below league average in shots against and even worse in goals against.

Finally, Larkin’s transition is easily the best on the team and probably even the best part of his game. His speed is deadly and propels him to the success displayed above on zone entries and exits. What’s most impressive is his above average possession entry and exit percentages. He’s not just getting rid of the puck, he’s maintaining possession and creating plays with it.

This was easily the best season of Larkin’s short career so far. He was the only player who scored more than 60 points and led all Red Wings in that department. He also led the team in assists.

As mentioned above, Larkin ran into some bad luck in the goal scoring department, which is why his goal tally is lower than both previous seasons. That being said, his added defensive responsibility could hurt his goal scoring going forward.

The other department Larkin vastly improved in this year was faceoffs. He became a true centreman who could be relied on at any point in the game. His 49.92 FO% was 2nd on the team behind Luke Glendening. It was a part of his game that he really wanted to work on and his hard work paid off.

Larkin was one of the few Red Wings with a 5-on-5 on-ice Corsi-For percentage of over 50%. I would have loved to see it higher, but with the quality of teammates that he has to play with, especially on the blueline, 50.31% is an accomplishment.

Perhaps more encouraging is his Relative Corsi-For percentage, which is a huge 2.25%, further proving how much better he was than his teammates.

As mentioned a few times above, Larkin was victim to some bad luck when it came to goal scoring for most of the year. He was still on the ice for more goals scored against than for, but he had one of the better Goals-For percentages on the team.

Larkin is only going to get better from here on out, but Jeff Blashill is going to take things slow. I think that Larkin is going to start the season as the second line center, but with some improvements to his game and consistent play, he’ll be promoted to being first line center at the midpoint of the season.

Look for him to bounce back in the goal scoring department, which will push him over the 70 point barrier. If I had to guess, I’d say 25 goals and 50 assists.

In any case, it’s time for Zetterberg to pass the top line centre torch and Larkin is the only Red Wing who’s good enough to take it from him.

In conclusion, Larkin had a fantastic 2017-18 season. He was the best Red Wing on the ice most nights and his stats back that up. Don’t expect him to reach elite status, but Larkin proved that he has all of the tools to centre a top line in the NHL. He’s really earning his “D-Boss” nickname.