The Detroit Red Wings are stuck in a tricky spot with Simon Edvinsson, and Vancouver may be the place where they finally find a clean exit.
Detroit would prefer to keep Edvinsson in the fold, but the player would rather move on. If that split becomes impossible to bridge, the Canucks could offer a path forward - one that brings back a very familiar name in Filip Hronek.
Hronek was once part of the Red Wings’ prospect pipeline, but Detroit moved him in 2023 when the rebuild and a new contract made a deal necessary. Now the timing looks different. Vancouver is in the early stages of a rebuild, while Detroit is trying to push toward playoff contention, and that makes a swap involving Edvinsson and Hronek at least worth considering.
From Detroit’s side, Hronek would bring exactly the kind of heavy-lifting defenseman the roster could use. Paired with Moritz Seider, he could form a top pair that changes the look of the blue line immediately. The idea of a Seider-Hronek duo is the kind of thing that can make a front office stop and think.
The connection between the Red Wings and Hronek matters here, too. That familiarity, along with Hronek’s $7.25 million cap hit, makes the idea feel more workable than most trade chatter.
There’s another layer to the Canucks angle as well. Elias Pettersson has long been one of Detroit’s rumored trade targets, and over the summer he was viewed as a possible Dylan Larkin replacement.
If Vancouver were willing to send Pettersson and Hronek to Detroit, the Red Wings could address two issues at once. Pettersson would give them a ready-made option to step into Larkin’s spot, and that could open the door for Detroit to move Larkin to one of the teams on his current trade list. Pettersson’s $11.6 million cap hit would also give the Red Wings a chance to bring the price down a bit.
For Detroit, that kind of deal would do more than just shuffle names around. It would give the franchise a way to move past the uncertainty surrounding both Larkin and Edvinsson.
The Red Wings would not be looking to give either player away for scraps, but they do need a resolution. If Vancouver can provide that, Detroit may be willing to listen - and anything extra coming back would just be a bonus.
In Other News...
Red Wings Just Sent A Chilling Message About Dylan Larkin
Dylan Larkins absence has already started to show up around Little Caesars Arena in ways fans can see before they even get to their seats. After his suspension and departure from the Red Wings, the team took down his banner and removed his cardboard likeness from the building, then shifted that spot to the Russian Five as part of the groups 30th anniversary celebration.
The move has added a sharper edge to an already awkward moment for a franchise trying to manage the fallout around one of its most recognizable players. Larkin merchandise has also been pulled from the team store, even as Patrick Kane Red Wings jerseys remain on sale despite his own departure, leaving the teams handling of the two situations looking noticeably different. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin Standoff Is Suddenly Costing Everyone More Than Expected
Dylan Larkins situation has moved well beyond a routine trade request, and the financial cost is already adding up. The Red Wings have suspended him without pay after he refused to report to the rink, and the standoff has now cost him nearly $500,000 in salary while the sides remain stuck in place.
Detroit would like to widen the list of possible trade destinations so it can chase a stronger return, but Larkins camp has not budged. That leaves the Red Wings trying to work through a market that is still too narrow for their liking, with no clear sign yet that the impasse is about to ease. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin Trade Buzz Leaves Bruins Fans With One Big Doubt
Dylan Larkins trade chatter has taken on a familiar NHL twist, with the Red Wings still waiting to see whether his list of acceptable destinations grows beyond the roughly ten teams already believed to be in play. Jim Biringer said on TSN Radio that Minnesota is the preferred landing spot, which has only sharpened the sense that Detroit is dealing with a very narrow market as it sorts through what comes next.
For a team trying to navigate a potentially complicated roster decision, that matters. The Red Wings are not just waiting on Larkins preferences to clarify, they are also weighing other ways to reshape the roster if the situation stays stuck, including the possibility of moving players such as Simon Edvinsson. For now, though, the bigger question is whether Detroit gets more flexibility from Larkin or has to start making its own moves without it. [Read more 🡒]