Simon Edvinsson’s next contract is starting to draw real attention in Detroit, and that’s no surprise with defensemen around the league getting paid. Pavel Mintyukov and Simon Nemec have already landed long-term extensions, and as the arbitration window opens for players who elected it, the market could shift if general managers keep pushing negotiations the way they did with Jason Robertson.
That matters for the Red Wings because Edvinsson is clearly part of their long-term plan. Steve Yzerman’s reluctance to move the big Swede earlier this year in a trade for Quinn Hughes said plenty about how Detroit views him.
While that situation brews, Claude Giroux has made his call in free agency: he’s staying in Ottawa, according to Elliotte Friedman. Giroux had been considering a return to the Flyers, but Philadelphia’s cap uncertainty appears to have changed the picture.
The Flyers’ record-breaking offer sheet extension for Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks has taken a major bite out of their available cap space and sent a ripple through the league. Other teams are watching closely to see how far offer sheets can be weaponized after Philadelphia’s move.
Detroit, meanwhile, still hasn’t made another significant signing or trade for the main roster since the first day of free agency. Patrick Kane remains unsigned, and by all accounts he seems to have moved on from the Red Wings, even if his next destination is still undecided.
With the Atlantic division deep and the Metropolitan becoming even more top-heavy, the Red Wings need to find a way to get active in the market before they get left behind.
There is at least one lighter note in the Edvinsson story. He and Lucas Raymond were in Sweden for a Luke Combs concert, where the two Detroit Swedes joined the country star on stage for a song and a drink.
Hopefully that good mood holds when the contract talks get serious. The big question now is where Edvinsson’s deal will land compared with Mo Seider’s.
Kevin Allen also wrote about the possibility that another team could submit an offer sheet for Edvinsson.
And for a broader view of the Red Wings’ offseason, finding a new home has been tough for players who wore Detroit sweaters last season.
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The Red Wings have spent the offseason reshaping the roster with three new NHL additions, but the biggest roster question still hanging over 2026-27 is far less about the newcomers than about the captain. Detroit is looking at multiple lineup paths as it tries to map out what the next version of the team could look like, and Dylan Larkin sits at the center of every one of them.
If Larkin stays, the club can keep building around a familiar core and sort through how the rest of the forward group fits around him. If the situation turns in a different direction, the conversation shifts from lineup construction to asset management, with management signaling it would want NHL players back rather than a package built mostly on futures. Either way, this is the kind of decision that can define not just a season, but the shape of the franchise itself. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Kane Could Shape Everything About Detroits Offseason
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The uncertainty around Kane also feeds into bigger questions about how Detroit wants to manage its roster from here. If he moves on, the conversation does not stop with one veteran scorer, because Alex DeBrincats place in the long-term picture could be affected as well, and the Red Wings are already trying to balance retention, depth and stability while building toward next season. For a team that needs answers, Kanes decision may end up shaping several of them. [Read more 🡒]