Nick Cousins Punks Dylan Larkin Over Losing the Red Wings' Captaincy

If you've been following the Dylan Larkin saga in Detroit, you already know things are messy. The trade request, the stripped captaincy, the boos from his own fanbase on opening night. It's the kind of situation that makes you cringe a little, even if you're not a Red Wings fan. But Tuesday night's game against the Ottawa Senators added a brand new layer to the whole ordeal, and honestly, it might be the most memorable moment of this whole drama so far.

During the Red Wings' 5-3 home victory over Ottawa, Senators forward Nick Cousins delivered what can only be described as a top-shelf chirp aimed directly at Larkin. After a line brawl broke out near the end of the second period, Cousins was spotted making a "C" gesture toward Larkin as the former captain headed off the ice toward the locker room for intermission. No subtlety. No hiding it. Just a full-on taunt about the letter that used to sit on Larkin's sweater.

How We Got Here

The whole mess traces back to before training camp, when Larkin requested a trade out of Detroit. The organization responded by stripping him of the captaincy, which is about as public a divorce as you can get in hockey. Tuesday's matchup against the Senators was actually Larkin's season debut after he missed the first two games dealing with an upper-body injury, so the tension was already cranked up to eleven before the puck even dropped.

When Larkin first touched the ice, the Little Caesars Arena crowd let him hear it with a chorus of boos. Not exactly the warm welcome you'd expect for a guy who has been the face of the franchise for years. But Larkin, to his credit, answered the only way a player really can. He buried a goal in the first period, tacked on an assist in the second, and was ultimately named the first star of the game. Say what you will about the guy's trade request, but he showed up when it mattered.

The brawl itself started when Ottawa's Ridley Greig laid a shot on Alex DeBrincat near the end of the second period. Larkin didn't hesitate. He went right after Greig and sparked a full-on scrap between the two teams. Captain or not, Larkin made it clear he's still willing to throw down for his teammates. That's when Cousins saw his opening and delivered the now-viral "C" taunt as things were winding down.

What This Means Going Forward

Look, Nick Cousins has made a career out of being a pest. That's his role, and he's very good at it. But this particular chirp hit different because of the circumstances. Larkin is a guy stuck in limbo right now. He wants out of Detroit, and reports suggest the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Minnesota Wild are the three teams he'd waive his no-trade clause for. Until a deal gets done, though, he's going to be wearing that Red Wings jersey without the "C" and dealing with exactly this kind of thing every single night.

Every agitator in the league now has the easiest ammunition imaginable. You don't even need to be creative. Just point at your chest and make a letter. It's brutal, and it's going to follow Larkin from arena to arena until Detroit's front office finds a trade partner willing to pay up.

The silver lining for Larkin is that performances like Tuesday's game only help his trade value. Detroit needs him playing well so they can maximize the return, and Larkin needs to show potential suitors that he's still an impact player. It's a weird symbiotic relationship between a player and an organization that clearly want to part ways but need each other for just a little while longer. In the meantime, expect more moments like this one. The NHL's pests are circling, and Larkin's situation is fresh meat.