(Detroit) The Detroit Red Wings signed captain Dylan Larkin to an eight-year, $69.6 million contract on Wednesday.
Larkin’s new contract will earn him an average of $8.7 million per year.
The Red Wings sit five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold the last available playoff spot in the East.
Detroit most recently made the playoffs in 2016.
The Red Wings have lost three straight heading into a home game against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
A member of three all-star teams, Larkin leads his team with 22 goals and 57 points this season, in 59 games.
The 26-year-old center has 169 National League goals and 415 points in 563 games.
A native of Waterford, a suburb of Detroit, Larkin became the first Michigan native to be named captain of the Red Wings two years ago.
The Red Wings drafted Larkin 15e altogether in 2014.
The Wings also acquired a conditional first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick from the Vancouver Canucks in return for defenseman Filip Hronek and a 2023 fourth-round pick.
The first-round pick comes from the New York Islanders in the trade involving Bo Horvat. The pick is protected inside the top 12.