Simon Edvinsson looks like the kind of defenseman the Devils have been searching for, but getting him would be a complicated swing.
New Jersey can clearly use a 23-year-old blue-liner with his size and defensive chops. The problem is that there are a lot of moving pieces between wanting him and actually landing him. General manager Sunny Mehta could make a move that catches people off guard, but this one comes with too many hurdles to call easy.
The appeal is obvious. The Devils have spent years trying to build a young defense corps, and while Luke Hughes gives them a key piece, they still need someone with more of a stay-at-home edge who can shut things down. They hoped Simon Nemec would become that player, but he didn’t, and the team moved him in the offseason.
Edvinsson fits the missing profile. He’s 6-foot-6, 222 pounds, and already producing strong defensive numbers.
In 2024-25, he posted 4.8 defensive point shares and 144 blocked shots. Last season, those numbers climbed to 5.1 defensive point shares and 148 blocked shots.
For a defenseman who came up from overseas, that kind of early command in his own end stands out.
There’s also the fit issue, though it’s not a deal-breaker. Edvinsson plays the left side, the same side as Hughes.
Even so, he could be deployed on a different pair when the Devils need to lock things down, and he can also handle his weak side at a high level. That gives New Jersey some flexibility if it wants him paired with Hughes anyway.
The Devils’ 6-0 loss to the New York Islanders only sharpened the need. They need more speed on the back end and more help cleaning up the area in front of the net. Edvinsson checks those boxes.
Still, the road to a deal is rough.
The contract alone is a major obstacle. His next deal is expected to land in the $8 million range annually, if not higher. New Jersey should have cap space after this season, but fitting him in right now would require moving a few players around.
Then there’s the trade cost. If the Devils and Red Wings ever line up on a deal, New Jersey would likely have to part with a young NHL-ready player or a couple of prospects. A player like Dawson Mercer or a prospect like Anton Silaev would make sense as part of the return, but neither is easy for the Devils to give up.
Detroit’s front office situation adds another layer of uncertainty. Shawn Horcoff is running the team on an interim basis, but it’s not clear which decisions he can actually make and which ones are being held for a permanent GM. That uncertainty has left the Red Wings in a messy spot to open the season, and it’s part of why both Edvinsson and Dylan Larkin have requested trades.
For now, New Jersey may be better off trying to fix its defense internally. That’s the standard answer for any team chasing a big name on the market, but in this case a lot of the problems can be coached up. Sheldon Keefe is the one who has to find a system that lets the Devils lean into their offense and skill without becoming too vulnerable defensively.
The pipeline also matters. Silaev is developing into a shutdown defenseman himself and could eventually fill that role.
The Devils also need to figure out what exactly is wrong before rushing to solve it. Goaltending looked like the concern before the season, which made a Connor Hellebuyck trade look appealing, but Mehta claimed Rémi Poirier off waivers as a stopgap for now.
The next step is evaluation. New Jersey wants to see what the roster looks like over the first month or even two months before making a major call.
If the defense is still the weak spot by then, a push for Edvinsson would make sense. And if he’s gone by that point, the Devils can turn their attention to another option, including Quinn Hughes.
In Other News...
Devils Already Have Early Roster Questions Around Their Core
The early part of the season has already given Sheldon Keefe plenty to sort through, and not just because of the results. In recent games, the Devils have seen familiar names like Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt set the tone while newer faces such as Amadeus Lombardi, Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista have added to the mix, giving the coaching staff a wider look at how the forward group can be configured as everyone settles in.
Goaltending has been part of the evaluation too, with Jake Allen, Nico Daws and Rmi Poirier all part of the conversation as New Jersey tries to get a clearer read on roles. The bigger picture is less about one individual game than the larger question the Devils are already facing: how much of this core is fixed, and how much is still up for grabs as Keefe continues to adjust after a loss and weigh what the lineup should look like going forward. [Read more 🡒]