Steve Yzerman-Dylan Larkin.jpg

Steve Yzerman (left) and Dylan Larkin are the last two Red Wings rookies to make the All-Star team.

(File Photos)

DETROIT - When Dylan Larkin takes the ice Sunday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, he'll become the seventh Detroit Red Wings rookie and first since Steve Yzerman in 1984 to play in the NHL All-Star Game.

Larkin's sensational start this season has brought back memories of Yzerman, a fellow forward and Hall of Famer who ranks among the greatest Red Wings of all-time, right alongside the likes of Gordie Howe and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Like Larkin, Yzerman was a first-round draft pick who stepped right into the Red Wings' lineup out of training camp in 1983 after being the club's first-round choice (fourth overall) in that year's NHL draft.

Yzerman was an immediate hit, scoring a goal in his first NHL game, a 6-6 tie on the road against the Winnipeg Jets.

Larkin, the Red Wings' first-round pick (15th overall) in 2014, also scored in his first game, a 4-0 home victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When Yzerman was selected to play in the 1984 All-Star Game, he was the youngest player in history to receive that honor.

At 19, Larkin is not only the youngest player in this year's All-Star Game but the only rookie as well.

So how do Larkin (6-1, 190) and Yzerman (5-11, 180) compare at this stage of their respective careers?

Well, they do and they don't.

"Certainly the impact," said general manager Ken Holland, a former goaltender who played three games for the Red Wings during Yzerman's rookie season. "When Steve was here, I was here that first year and the Red Wings were so bad that he almost had to single-handedly carry the franchise to respectability.

"On one hand, Dylan has more support but on the other hand Steve was on every power play and probably stayed out for two minutes because there probably wasn't a lot of competition. One offsets the other."

Indeed, the Red Wings were one of the NHL's worst teams when Yzerman joined them.

Before Yzerman arrived, the Red Wings had missed the playoffs for five straight years and 12 of the previous 13 seasons. They finished higher than fourth just once during that stretch - second when they made the playoffs in 1978 - while averaging 25 wins.

Larkin, on the other hand, joined a team that has made the playoffs for 24 straight seasons, the longest active streak in North America's four major pro sports leagues.

Today's Red Wings feature potential Hall of Famers Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, a group of established veterans and rising stars such as Danny DeKeyser and Petr Mrazek.

The pressure on Yzerman was immense when he was a rookie while the current Red Wings have had the luxury of bringing Larkin along slowly by not throwing him out on special teams right out of the blocks.

"I think we all kind of realized early on in Steve Yzerman's career that he was going to be a special player," Holland said. "Now how special? What's he going to accomplish individually and what's he going to lead as he became a captain?

"In Dylan's case, we're all watching. He's got his whole future ahead of him. He's 19 years of age. My take is I guess I live moment to moment because that's my job description. My vision goes out a year. I don't look five and six and seven years.

"My vision goes out this year and into the summertime and the salary cap and what are we looking at into September?"

In other words, Holland isn't ready to predict that Larkin is the next coming of Yzerman after barely half of a season.

Through his first 48 games, Larkin isn't on pace to have nearly the same numbers Yzerman put up as a rookie.

Yzerman, the runnerup behind Tom Barasso for Rookie of the Year in 1984, had 39 goals and 48 assists in 80 games during his first year with the Red Wings. Larkin is on pace for 25 goals and 30 assists.

But Larkin is also on pace for a plus-40 rating compared to Yzerman's minus-17 as a rookie, which obviously speaks to the strength of the Red Wings now and then but is also an indication of Larkin's defensively ability.

Teams also score fewer goals these days.

In 1983-84, for instance, Wayne Gretzky led the NHL with 87 goals, 118 assists and 205 points. The 87 goals are the second-most in NHL history and the 205 points rank fourth.

Eight players scored more than 50 goals in 1983-84, when 12 players had at least 100 points.

This season, nobody is on pace to score 50 goals and Chicago's Patrick Kane is the only one on pace for at least 100 points.

Yzerman led the Red Wings in both goals and points (87) as a rookie while sharing the team lead for assists with Ivan Boldirev.

Larkin leads the Red Wings in goals (15) while sharing the team lead in assists (18) and points (33). His plus-24 rating is tied for the NHL lead.

Among NHL rookies, Larkin is first in plus-minus and third in goals, assists and points.

"Certainly, again when you look at his peer group and what he's doing in the National Hockey League against his peer group - those other 18-, 19-year-olds - he's near the top of the pack," Holland said.

"There's some other young players that have hit this league with a real impact but he's right there at the top of the pack with his impact in this league at 19 years of age."

As Holland pointed out, Larkin isn't being relied on nearly as heavily as Yzerman was when he was a rookie because the current Red Wing are deeper and more talented.

Larkin and the Red Wings entered the All-Star break with a 25-16-8 record, are fourth in the Eastern Conference and appear on their way to a 25th straight playoff berth.

The 1983-84 Red Wings were 17-29-5 at the All-Star break en route to a final record of 31-42-7 that gave them the seventh of eight playoff berths in the Campbell Conference.

Perhaps the biggest thing Yzerman and Larkin have in common - other than the No. 19 Larkin wore last season at Michigan - is neither ever looked out of place as a rookie and never gave the Red Wings any reason to consider sending them to the minor leagues for more seasoning.

Like Yzerman, Larkin made the transiation to the NHL seamlessly.

"Yeah, the special ones do," Holland said, "and it appears he's a special young player."

Detroit Red Wings 2015-16: Dylan Larkin 20 Gallery: Detroit Red Wings 2015-16: Dylan Larkin

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