Simon Edvinsson is starting to look less like a luxury for the Maple Leafs and more like a fix.
With Chris Tanev’s injury casting real doubt over Toronto’s blue line, the conversation around the Detroit Red Wings defenseman has changed fast. Edvinsson has been on the Leafs’ radar before, and Toronto is still viewed as one of the more appealing landing spots for the 23-year-old. Now, though, the need is clearer than ever.
Tanev going down has pushed the idea from a nice addition to a far more urgent one. The Maple Leafs need a true defensive defenseman, and the options that actually fit that description are thin. If Tanev is going to be out for a while, Toronto has a problem on its hands - and Edvinsson starts to look like one of the few clean solutions.
The internal alternatives don’t line up nearly as well. The Leafs would be leaning on Darren Raddysh in a role he doesn’t really fit, while Troy Stecher and Nick Blankenburg moving into a shutdown job doesn’t make much sense either.
That’s why Edvinsson stands out. He’s young, he brings the kind of profile Toronto needs, and he looks like a much more natural answer than patchwork replacements.
There is still uncertainty around Tanev, of course. The Maple Leafs aren’t expected to offer much clarity anytime soon, so any discussion here is built on the assumption that this is not a short-term issue. But based on how the play in Colorado looked last Saturday night, it’s fair to believe Toronto is bracing for something more serious.
From a trade perspective, Edvinsson also appears more reachable than some other names. The Red Wings are said to be more open to a futures package for him than they would be for Dylan Larkin, who would have required win-now pieces. That matters for a Leafs team that does have assets to work with.
Toronto has Colorado’s first-round pick, along with prospects such as Ben Danford. If Detroit is willing to deal for a package built around that first-rounder and Danford, there’s a path here.
Cap space, though, is the other hurdle. The Leafs would still need to create room for Edvinsson’s hit, and one possible solution would be a short-term bridge deal to get through the cap situation before paying him properly later on.
So the fit is real, the need is real, and the Leafs have enough flexibility to get creative. They’re not fully backed into a corner yet, but if Tanev is sidelined for long, Simon Edvinsson suddenly looks like a move that makes a lot of sense.
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