The Detroit Red Wings have run into another uncomfortable contract standoff, and this one involves one of their young blue-liners.
Simon Edvinsson has reportedly made it known that he would rather be traded than sign an extension with Detroit. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Edvinsson’s camp is not currently in talks with the Red Wings, a view echoed in the report from Gino Hard: “Edvinsson’s camp is currently NOT talking with the Wings,” the report Gino Hard stated.
Detroit, though, is still presenting a different message to the rest of the league. The team continues to tell other clubs that it wants to extend the defenseman, even as the situation sits in limbo. It’s another awkward chapter for an organization that has already dealt with Dylan Larkin’s trade request just months ago.
Edvinsson is a restricted free agent after finishing his entry-level deal. After training camp, he went back to Sweden and is now skating with Frolunda HC.
The 23-year-old was the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and he has become a key piece of Detroit’s defensive picture. Last season, he put up nine goals and 16 assists in 72 games, logged more than 22 minutes per night, and finished at plus-12.
Detroit has managed to lock up several important young players before, but Edvinsson’s status now gives the front office another major call to make. There is still a path to an agreement if the two sides can break the stalemate.
For now, though, the trade talk only adds to the pressure around a team already dealing with plenty of uncertainty. Larkin’s request triggered a wave of attention, and the veteran center was stripped of his captaincy before being booed heavily at Detroit’s home opener.
The Red Wings are also operating without a permanent general manager after Steve Yzerman’s departure. Assistant GM Shawn Horcoff is handling the job on an interim basis.
If the freeze in negotiations continues, Edvinsson’s situation could grow even more important. Detroit will have to decide whether to keep pushing for a long-term deal or start looking at the trade market.
Either way, losing another young core player would be a major hit for a team already facing questions in the locker room and in the front office.
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The challenge is sharper because Detroit is trying to recreate last seasons special-teams success without two of the biggest reasons it worked. The Red Wings have spent the early stretch adjusting without Patrick Kane and Dylan Larkin, and the missing firepower has made every chance feel a little heavier than it should this early in the schedule. For a team that wants its top end to set the tone, the expectation is already clear, even if the answers are still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]