The clock is now the biggest factor in Simon Edvinsson’s situation.
The Detroit Red Wings have two important player matters hanging over them, but only one comes with a hard deadline. Edvinsson, still a restricted free agent, has to be signed by the Red Wings or another NHL team by 4:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 1 if he is going to be eligible to play this season.
And there’s a real possibility he could take a different route entirely. According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Swedish-born defenseman may be ready to play in his home country if the situation drags past that cutoff.
"One of the things that some reporters who live in Sweden have told me is that they believe that if this goes past Dec. 1, he’s prepared to play there," Friedman said. "That’s how strong his resolve is.
But we’ll see. We won’t know that for another 16, 17 days."
For the Red Wings, that would be a brutal outcome. Edvinsson is a towering, puck-moving defenseman, exactly the kind of player NHL teams fight to find and keep. Detroit drafted him, and he has already grown into the club’s second-most important blue liner behind Moritz Seider.
His absence this season has been noticeable, and the longer this drags on, the more pressure lands on the organization to settle it. The Red Wings are apparently hoping Edvinsson changes his mind and accepts their offer, but the latest reporting does not make that sound likely.
Interim GM Shawn Horcoff, who has said he has no desire to trade Edvinsson, will need to make an official call soon as the deadline approaches.
In Other News...
Red Wings May Have Already Passed On A Massive Dylan Larkin Return
The Dylan Larkin trade chatter that surfaced this week only adds another layer to a situation that has hovered around the Red Wings for months. Michael Russo reported that Detroit passed on a significant offer from the Minnesota Wild in June, a package that was said to be larger than the one now centered on Danila Yurov and multiple first-round picks. With Larkin holding a no-trade clause, any serious conversation has always had to clear a high bar, and Minnesota is among the teams on his expanded approved list.
For Detroit, the real takeaway is less about the specifics of any one proposal and more about how firmly the organization has treated its captain as a player it would not move lightly. Neither team has confirmed the details, and there is no indication a deal is close now, but the reporting suggests the Wild have been circling for a while. Even if the latest talks go nowhere, the fact that Larkins name keeps resurfacing in this context is enough to keep the rumor mill spinning around a player the Red Wings clearly value highly. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Drama Around Dylan Larkin Just Got More Uncomfortable
The Dylan Larkin situation has only gotten more awkward for the Red Wings, with the captains summer trade request still hanging over a team trying to steady itself. Larkin, who signed an eight-year contract with Detroit in 2023, left the club after making the request and was suspended, turning what should have been a straightforward cornerstone relationship into a messy public storyline.
The discomfort spilled into the broadcast booth during a Red Wings game, when ESPN analyst Erik Johnson took aim at players who ask out in the middle of a contract. Meanwhile, interim GM Shawn Horcoff has kept the door open on the roster side, saying the team is willing to listen on trade offers for Larkin and defenseman Simon Edvinsson, even as it hopes to get Edvinsson signed before the December 1 deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Brendan Shanahan Is Suddenly Tied To A Fascinating Red Wings Role
Brendan Shanahans name has suddenly resurfaced in a way that will grab the attention of anyone who remembers the Red Wings championship years. The Hall of Fame winger, who won three Stanley Cups in Detroit and later built a long front-office rsum in Toronto, is being linked to a possible return to the organization in a role that would carry real weight around the franchise.
Shanahans track record gives the idea plenty of intrigue. He reached his 400th career goal back in 1999, finished with 656 goals and 1,354 points, and eventually became president of the Maple Leafs before leaving that post in 2025. For now, though, there has been no official announcement, which leaves Detroit fans waiting to see whether this speculation turns into something more concrete. [Read more 🡒]