Red Wings' Holland: Larkin is 'face of the franchise' material

Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg ... Dylan Larkin?

Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland unloaded lofty praise - and perhaps a burden - on Dylan Larkin on Friday, saying the rookie forward could become the next player to carry the torch for the storied franchise.

"It's hard to be the face of a franchise," Holland told TSN Radio 1040 Vancouver. "Dylan Larkin, for a lot of reasons - he's 19 years of age; he's had a real impact on our team; he's homegrown; he's from Waterford, Michigan; he played minor hockey in Detroit - probably has a chance to be the face of the franchise."

Larkin will have his hands full attempting to match the successes of the great Red Wings that came before him. But he does have the pedigree.

At No. 15 overall, he's the highest Red Wings draft pick in the time since before Yzerman, Lidstrom, and Datsyuk helped the club win four Stanley Cups in 12 seasons.