Simon Edvinsson’s next contract could end up landing in rare territory if the Detroit Red Wings choose to go long term.
On The Chris Johnston Show, Chris Johnston said his sense is that a six- or seven-year deal for the Red Wings’ restricted free agent defenseman would come in at more than $10 million per season. He pointed to the current market as the reason, saying young players with upside are cashing in at levels that keep climbing.
“I think if it’s long-term, it’s double-digit. You know, that’s, that’s my sense. Like, if he’s doing like a six or seven-year deal, it’s probably more than 10 million a year.”
Johnston added that he still doesn’t have a clean read on where contracts should sit right now because the market has been “thrown such into whack.” He noted that there really aren’t clean comparables, even with the contracts signed since July 3rd, when Leo Carlson got his offer sheet.
Still, he said the trend is obvious enough. Young players with talent and upside are getting paid, and Edvinsson fits that description.
“you know, I think if they’re going to go long term with him, it’s definitely $10 million plus. That’s what I’m hearing that the price tag is.”
Johnston also floated the idea of a much shorter arrangement instead. He said a one- or two-year deal could make sense if the Red Wings want to get through the season and revisit the situation later. Edvinsson is already in camp, which Johnston viewed as a sign of good faith even without a contract in place.
The bigger issue, though, is who should be making the call.
Johnston said contracts in the range of 60, 70, 80, 90, or even 100 million dollars are the kind of decisions that should be made by someone with a long-term role, not an interim tag. He said the same goes for major organizational choices involving players like Edvinsson, Alex DeBrincat, and Dylan Larkin.
“But at a certain point in time, there’s, these are massive organizational decisions, right?”
He added that Shawn Horcoff has a strong chance to remain part of whatever the next version of the front office looks like, even after the interim setup changes. For now, though, Johnston said Horcoff is the one in the main chair.
The Red Wings, Johnston said, have been behind the curve. With Steve Yzerman pushed out in early July, they missed the usual window to hire a GM and are still searching, with a firm involved in the process. He said that delay matters because this is not a summer when a team wants to be behind.
That timing, in Johnston’s view, has already cost the Red Wings.
“If there’s a trend, I would say the teams that waited on, the teams that grinded players or waited to make a big decision, they’re, they’re paying a tax for that because the contracts right now are so much higher than even deals that were, that would have been signed in May and June.”
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