Red Wings interim general manager Shawn Horcoff is staring at two problems at once, and the timing is brutal. Detroit is dealing with Dylan Larkin’s trade saga, now stretching nearly half a year, while also trying to sort out disgruntled RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson before the Dec. 1 deadline arrives.
That combination has put the Red Wings in a tight spot. The club has top-end talent that could walk out the door, and that makes the return from any deal matter in a big way. It is not enough for Detroit to think only about the next few years; whatever comes back has to help now, too.
According to insider Darren Dreger, Horcoff may be looking for a more creative way to handle both situations at once.
“I learned yesterday that there’s also an appetite from Detroit’s perspective to try and lump those players together, not going to the same team, but those two trades happening virtually at the same time so that Detroit can cover all of its bases and move forward.” Dreger said on a recent appearance on Montreal 690 radio.
There is logic to that approach. The biggest hurdle in the Larkin situation has been that almost none of the teams on his now ten-team trade list have what Detroit wants. The Red Wings are not looking to swap away a win-now center just to collect prospects and picks, and the teams involved may not want to create a hole in their own lineup by moving an established center.
Edvinsson presents a different kind of opportunity. At 23, and with flashes of a top-pairing defenseman, he is not tied to a player-controlled list. That gives Detroit a wider field of possible trade partners, including teams that might be more willing to part with a young center if they believe Edvinsson can help stabilize the blue line during a playoff push.
That flexibility matters. The Red Wings can ask a little more when the other side is getting a more desirable piece, and the price may not be far beyond Larkin’s current contract once everything is finalized. It is simply easier to ask for a younger player when you are offering one of your own.
Still, there are reasons this plan could fall apart. Larkin may be the kind of missing piece a few teams can picture in their lineup, but many of the clubs on his list are already serious Stanley Cup contenders. They may not want to risk disrupting the chemistry that has carried them into the playoffs for a player who has not played past April since 2016.
Edvinsson is the trickier case for Detroit in a different way. The Red Wings do not have much interest in moving him, and that reality shapes the asking price.
They could use a top-pairing defenseman to ease the burden on Mo Seider, who is playing nearly half of every game. Unless someone blows them away with an offer, there is no obvious reason for Detroit to stop trying to bring Edvinsson back into the fold.
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