Detroit hasn't changed their methodology when it comes to drafting and development.
What Detroit has had in the past is a very good European scouting staff, and a relatively poor North American one by comparison. Couple that with the fact that they have been a pretty good team for a very long time - a team that picks later in the draft (and almost assuredly prospects picked later in the draft need more development time than players selected earlier in the draft) and a team that has very good depth - these prospects seemed to always be 'over-ripening' in the AHL/Europe.
Larkin making the team hasn't changed anything. He just happens to be a pick that Detroit selected either by 'luck' or 'better scouting' (take your pick - I think they have been scouting better lately in North America) who hasn't needed that long development time, and found himself on a team that has not been as deep as they were in the past.
Babcock especially was a coach that preferred to have guys whom he trusted on the team ahead of rookies (as most coaches do), so it seemed even more like this was some methodical system on Detroit's part. Just a by-product of having a deep team, and a much better scouting staff in Europe than North America that continually drafted well later in every round, and throughout the draft.
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