Simon Edvinsson was seen skating in Sweden with Frolunda on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The Detroit Red Wings have still not signed him to a new contract, and Edvinsson is still a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level deal. With him being back in Sweden two days before the season opener against the New York Rangers, it looks very murky for him being back with the Red Wings anytime soon.
The trip home followed a Monday statement from interim general manager Shawn Horcoff, relayed by Red Wings beat reporter Max Bultman: “As of today, Simon is not practicing with the team. The organization will continue conversations with Simon and his representatives.” Edvinsson had been taking part in non-contact drills at camp without a deal until that point.
Simon Edvinsson Is Coming Off His Best NHL Season
The 23-year-old played in 72 games last season with Detroit. He scored nine goals and recorded 16 assists for 25 points, along with a plus-12 rating and better than 22 minutes a night. With his future with the Red Wings being in question, could there be a team around the NHL that trades for him?
New Jersey Has a Hole Simon Edvinsson Could Fill
The New Jersey Devils missed the playoffs last season, and they could use some help on their blue line. The current pairings for the Devils defense are Jonas Siegenthaler-Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes-Brett Pesce, and Brenden Dillon-Declan Chisholm.
Edvinsson could be worth the addition for the Devils. Nick Villano of Pucks and Pitchforks wrote Tuesday that the Devils need more offensive defensemen on the roster. He said:
It’s valuable to have Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler, Johnny Kovacevic, and Brendan Dillon on a team, but having all of them means there’s almost no offense coming from the back end.
It puts too much pressure on Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes to both have stellar seasons. Now, with Seamus Casey expected to miss time with an injury suffered in the preseason, there’s no real option outside of them. Declan Chisholm was supposed to be an option, but he had a rough preseason and isn’t instilling confidence that he can take away a spot from Kovacevic when he returns from his own injury.
Adding another great defensive piece would be incredibly valuable for the Devils. The Red Wings are hesitant to give Edvinsson a long-term deal. Mehta likely won’t have that same hesitance.
Sunny Mehta is the Devils general manager, hired in April out of a Florida Panthers front office that won back-to-back Stanley Cups. He probably would not be scared to take a risk on Edvinsson for the long haul.
The Red Wings Need to Sign Him Now
If Detroit does not sign Edvinsson now, then teams like the Devils and others across the league might potentially be interested in trading for him. It is important for the Red Wings to sign him now. The fact that they have let it get this far with the NHL season already underway is a complete joke also.
Detroit spent two months of the offseason without a permanent general manager. Steve Yzerman was moved out of the role on July 15, and Horcoff did not take over on an interim basis until Sept. 15. That is the window in which a restricted free agent of Edvinsson’s standing normally gets paid, and it closed with nobody in the chair.
