Red Wings Running Out of Time to Avoid Simon Edvinsson Problem

The Detroit Red Wings have been able to keep working around the Simon Edvinsson contract issue through training camp, but time is running out.

Detroit will conclude the four-game preseason schedule on Satruday against the Columbus Blue Jackets and wil open the regular season on October 2 against the New York Rangers.

Yet, Edvinsson remains unsigned.

He’s just 23 years old and his entry-level contract has expired. He has still been around his teammates through training camp where he has been participating in practices under a professional tryout agreement.

Sort of makes you sigh, doesn’t it? A tryout agreement? I’m pretty sure his tryout is over. Edvinsson is important to this team and he needs to be signed to a contract.

Sure, it’s just a work around so that he can prepare, but that luxury is going to be over soon. He can’t take the ice and play once the regular season starts without a contract.

If the Red Wings want one of their most important defensemen on the ice come Opening Night (and they better), they have less than a week now to get the deal done.

Edvinsson Has More Than Done His Part

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Without a contract, Edvinsson had no obligation to show up. He could have stayed in Sweden and just waited for the Red Wings to finally make some kind of move to negotiate his contract.

That’s not what he did.

He showed up.

He has participated in practices but hasn’t played in a pre-season game or full-contact scrimmages without a contract. That’s pretty easy to understand.

But, it also raises another concern. The preseason was short this year with only four meetings due to the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement. Edvinsson has already missed the first three and he will miss the fourth. That leaves him without any game action as the regular season approaches.

Practice isn’t the same as game action.

That’s not Edvinsson’s fault.

He came to camp. He practiced. He did things he didn’t have to do. He’s show incredible loyalty to the team and an extreme amount of patience. It’s very understandable why he wouldn’t risk inury while left unsigned.

Come on Detroit. The responsibility to get this guy signed now fully falls in your lap and so far, well this organization isn’t getting much done.

Red Wings Agreed Edvinsson Was Priority

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

More than a week ago the Red Wings appointed Shawn Horcoff the interim general manager. Of course one of the first questions was about Edvinsson’s contract.

"Obviously, that's the priority for us," Horcoff said shortly after taking over, via NHL.com’s Nicholas Cotsonika. "Simon is a fantastic player and a bright spot in our organization, so we're going to get to work on that contract as soon as we can and hopefully have something done here shortly."

Shortly better be soon because the sand is running out in the hourglass.

Edvinsson isn’t a player whose absence can just be easily filled. He’s a former No. 6 overall pick who has played 72 games last season. He recorded career highs with nine goals and 25 points. He averaged 22:21 of ice time per game. That’s the second-most behind Moritz Seider.

There is zero debate about whether Edvinsson belongs on the team. There’s just no contract to allow him to play yet.

Bridge Deal Could Be Solution

There have been a lot of changes and record contract in the NHL lately. The question surrounding Edvinsson this summer has been about the amount it would take to get him signed long term.

That question is still there. Maybe there’s not an answer to it, yet. Maybe that’s not even the immediate goal. No one knows.

There could be an argument on both sides for a bridge deal, although it seems a little more risky on the Detroit side.

Detroit could get Edvinsson under contract in the short term and not commit to a massive annual salary that a long-term contract might require.

For Edvinsson, he could bet on himself and potentially return to the negotiating table in a year or two with an even stronger resume.

On the Red Wings side, this feels like procrastination at its finest. They would just be postponing the problem and allowing the contract value to just keep increasing.

The immediate problem is how to get him on the ice in a Red Wings sweater.

Detroit’s Deadline is Real

Earlier in the offseason we addressed the issue and said time was running out, but now it really is. The contract situation could continue well beyond Opening Night.

In reality, Detroit better not let that happen.

The Red Wings are trying to end a 10-year playoff drought. This is not a good look. One way or another this organization has got to figure out how to get this deal done, or even a bridge deal done.

Edvinsson has done his part, in fact, way more than he had to.

With Opening Night less than a week away, the Red Wings can’t afford to let this continue.

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