Dylan Larkin (upper body) skating 'brings joy and happiness' to Detroit Red Wings

The sight was much welcome: Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, albeit in a gray kit, skating again with his teammates.

Less than a week after a frightening incident when Larkin was unconscious on the ice, he took part in Thursday's morning skate at Little Caesars Arena. When he will return to their lineup is uncertain — coach Derek Lalonde first said Monday would be "aggressive" and then backed off Larkin possibly returning before the Christmas break — but to see him suit up even in non-contact colors was encouraging.

"I was surprised he was skating already," Moritz Seider said. "I think he looks really good. Now it's just about giving him time and space to fully recover and be ready to go.

"Obviously, he brings a lot of joy and happiness to this locker room right now."

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Five days earlier, it was a scary scene. In the first period of the Dec. 9 game vs. the Ottawa Senators, Larkin was crunched between a hit to the back of the head from Mathieu Joseph and a crosscheck by Parker Kelly. Larkin spent several minutes motionless on the ice, eventually able to stand and skate off with help.

"It's really nice to see him on the ice," goalie Ville Husso said. "You never want to see anything like that when it happened, just laying on the ice. In that short period of time you go through a lot of emotions and what could it be and stuff. So it was really nice to see him on the ice today. Hopefully he'll be back soon."

Larkin was not available to reporters.

"He was in non-contact, you could see him moving around gingerly," Lalonde said. "He's on the IR, obviously unavailable for us at least through Saturday. I think Monday he's potentially available for us, I think that would probably be a little aggressive. But, it's a day-to-day type thing, especially with the upper-body he's dealing with."

Asked if Larkin might play before the Dec. 24-26 shutdown, Lalonde hedged.

"I'm encouraged on the big picture, but you start dealing with some upper-bodies, it wouldn't be my spot to say," Lalonde said. "We'd love him back sooner than later. The fact he is skating in a non-contact is positive, but I couldn't give an exact time frame."

The Wings put Larkin on short-term injured reserve Monday, two days after the incident. Larkin has a history of neck injuries, adding to the concern for his well-being.

"We wanted to be careful of Dylan's privacy," Lalonde said. "He went on IR, I think a lot of people think the worst. But from him being completely out cold to being helped off the ice, made it an optimistic scenario for us."

Larkin has 25 points in 24 games, and centers the top line. His return will be another welcome sight.

"It will be a big lift for all of us," Seider said. "And then I think you will see a big difference on the ice. I truly believe a lot of guys are stepping up right now and we achieve our goals even though we don't have the depth right now, and that's a big credit to the whole locker room."

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dylan Larkin skating in practice 'brings joy' to Detroit Red Wings