Andrew Copp

Todd McLellan recalls John Leonard from Grand Rapids as the Red Wings grapple with a brutal injury wave to Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp, leaving their forward ranks decimated ahead of Saturday's clash in Dallas. The bench boss now stares down the barrel of dressing fewer than 12 forwards against a Stars team chasing franchise history on a scorching point streak.

The Dallas Stars host a Detroit Red Wings squad that's dropping like a stone after back-to-back losses to Tampa and Florida, with key centers Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp sidelined by leg injuries. Dallas chases franchise lore at American Airlines Center, leaning on Jason Robertson's league-leading 78 points while the Wings counter with Alex DeBrincat's 65.

Detroit's captain Dylan Larkin and linemate Andrew Copp both sit with lower-body injuries that coach Todd McLellan pegs at two weeks minimum before reassessment. Larkin tweaked his leg in that ugly fall against the Panthers last Friday, while Copp got tangled up with Tomas Nosek the other night, forcing a full reshuffle up front with DeBrincat, Kane, and Compher now holding the top center spot.

The Detroit Red Wings face mounting injury concerns up front with centers Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp sidelined amid the grind of the stretch run. Larkin buckled his knee in a tough loss to Ottawa, while Copp joins him on maintenance, testing the depth Detroit built with vets like Faulk and Perron. Coach Todd McLellan insists they're day-to-day bumps in a brutal schedule, but in a knife-edge Atlantic race, every shift without their top pivots raises the stakes for playoff positioning.

Andrew Copp's injury clouds Detroit's lineup as the Red Wings navigate a critical stretch without their unsung anchor on the second line. Coaches have long praised his faceoff reliability and penalty-kill steadiness, the kind of glue that holds lines together amid DeBrincat and Kane's flash. His status raises questions about how Steve Yzerman adjusts the bottom six before the trade deadline buzz intensifies.

Andrew Copp absorbs a lower-body hit and doesn't return from the Panthers game, testing Detroit's resolve without their reliable two-way center. The Wings scramble with Larkin nursing his own leg woes, forcing Compher and Kasper into expanded roles. This injury hits hard for a line that's been clicking with DeBrincat, and the team braces for Thursday's matchup minus one of their steadiest vets.