Red Wings lock up Dylan Larkin with 8-year extension

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has signed an eight-year extension with an $8.7 million average annual value, the team announced Wednesday.

Larkin, 26, leads the Red Wings in scoring this season with 22 goals and 35 assists for 57 points in 59 games. In 563 career NHL games over eight seasons, all with Detroit, he has scored 169 goals and 246 assists.

Larkin is in the final year of the five-year, $30.5 million contract ($6.1 million AAV) he signed in 2018 after his entry-level deal.

The extension ends prolonged negotiations between Larkin's camp and Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman. It will be viewed as a win for Larkin, who wanted to play only for the Red Wings and ends up being compensated like other top centers in the NHL.

Larkin, who was born in Michigan, played at the University of Michigan and was drafted by the Red Wings at No. 15 in 2014. He has played his entire career in the state of Michigan. The 26-year-old made his debut for the Red Wings in the 2015-16 season, the last year of Detroit's 25-year consecutive playoff streak.

The Red Wings have not made the playoffs since, but they are in the mix for a spot with six weeks to go in the regular season.