Red Wings' Simon Edvinsson Problem Just Became Much More Serious

Watching the story of the Detroit Red Wings unfold is a bit disturbing right now. This team literally can’t seem to make anything happen.

No official general manager. No Dylan Larkin trade. Now, no Simon Edvinsson. Notice I didn’t say no contract; I literally said no Edvinsson.

The Edvinsson contract situation has reached the point where it is impacting the organization’s preparations for the regular season.

Detroit announced its 23-man roster on Monday ahead of its season opener on Friday against the New York Rangers.

Edvinsson wasn’t on it.

That part wasn’t particularly surprising because everyone knew that if the 23-year-old remained unsigned, he couldn’t play.

What happened on Monday at practice was noticeable and shocking.

After spending training camp with his teammates, even though he didn’t have a full contract, Edvinsson was no longer on the ice.

Now with Opening Night just days away, what everyone thought was a simple offseason negotiation has turned into an immediate roster problem.

Red Wings Move On Without Edvinsson

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Let’s just start with the facts. Edvinsson should be commended for the way he has handled the whole situation.

Rather than just staying in Sweden, he reported to Detroit and practiced under a professional tryout agreement. That move allowed him to continue to be with his teammates and practice, although he didn’t play in the preseason games.

Now, even that has ended, and everyone should be paying attention.

Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff told reporters on Monday that the Red Wings are continuing to negotiate with Edvinsson’s representatives, but the bottom line is, he’s not on the ice and he’s not on the roster.

The Red Wings official roster included seven defensemen:

Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot
Justin Faulk
Albert Johansson
Anton Johansson
Axel Sandin-Pellikka
William Wallinder.

Jacob Bernard-Docker was placed on the injured reserve retroactive to September 24. Andreas Englund, who was claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames on Friday, was designated as an immigration non-roster player, presumably while the necessary work authorization paperwork is being processed.

Edvinsson was listed separately as a restricted free agent.

That’s significant and noticeable. That’s also nearly inexcusable by this organization.

Edvinsson played in 72 games last season and recorded career highs with nine goals and 25 points. He also averaged 22:21 of ice time per game; only Seider was ahead of him among all Red Wings players.

Setting aside all of the other issues this team has, not getting Edvinsson signed is unbelievable.

Contract Talks Reached Critical Point

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yes, the Red Wings have maintained that getting Edvinsson signed is a priority.

Horcoff made it clear very shortly after he was named interim general manager that Edvinsson was a “fantastic player” and a “bright spot” on the team.

Yet, here we are.

There has been some speculation about the length of the contract, which is now a point of contention. Honestly, this is on the Red Wings because, had they worked toward a contract resolution earlier (even without a GM), this could have likely been avoided.

Some have suggested that a possible bridge contract could help where both sides could agree and take some risk on a shorter term.

Clearly, there are arguments for either strategy, and on both sides.

The bridge deal would have given Detroit more time to evaluate Edvinsson and potentially keep his cap hit lower in the short term. On the flip side, not signing him long-term now could end up being a very costly mistake should he continue on the trajectory he’s been on and become considerably more expensive in a few short years.

The biggest concern at this point is that nothing has happened, the debate has gone on too long, not enough action has been taken and Edvinsson is off the roster.

Opening Night is Upon Us

Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Little Caesars Arena will be the place of Opening Night for Detroit when they face the Rangers on Friday.

Edvinsson can’t play until he has a contract.

He hasn’t had any game action, even in preseason.

Every day that passes by without a deal just keeps reducing the preparation time he will have before being ask to just jump in on NHL action.

This is not insignificant. The Red Wings are not in a position to withstand his absence for long. Or maybe they can?

This team has missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive years now. Maybe ownership is just accepting of this and doesn’t feel the need to take drastic steps - you know, like hiring a general manager or getting one of the most important players on the team signed?

Detroit has very little time left to right this ship and get it turned around. But not much.

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