- The Red Wings have changed their asking price in Simon Edvinsson trade talks
- Detroit still prefers NHL-ready talent but will now listen to a different kind of offer
- Read below for the full report and the cap wrinkle facing any team that trades for him
The Red Wings are widening the net on a possible Simon Edvinsson trade.
Detroit has told teams it would still rather get NHL-ready talent for the unsigned defenseman, but it is now open to the right futures-based package built around prospects and draft picks, Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli reported Wednesday.
That’s a real change in tone. The Wings have been firm in the Dylan Larkin talks that they want young NHL players coming back so they can stay competitive now. Seravalli wrote that something shifted in their conversations with other clubs over the weekend.
It came right after Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday that Edvinsson would prefer a trade out of Detroit. Here’s how we posted it on X:
Edvinsson is a restricted free agent and still has no contract. The 23-year-old went back to Sweden to train after spending the start of training camp in Detroit.
Around the league, the bigger question is what this says about the Red Wings’ direction. Detroit has missed the playoffs 10 straight seasons, the longest active drought in the NHL, and that’s with Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, Edvinsson and Alex DeBrincat all in the fold.
Teams are now wondering if Detroit is coming to terms with the idea that its rebuild needs a rebuild, according to Seravalli.
Larkin’s own situation got loud on Tuesday. He was booed by the home crowd in his season debut, then cheered when he scored.
He said afterward that he understands why fans are upset, but that he still has to show up and help the team win. Check out our post on his comments:
On the ice, Edvinsson put up 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 72 games last season while averaging a career-high 22:21 of ice time. He had a career-best 31 points the year before. Detroit took the 6-foot-6 blueliner sixth overall in 2021.
Seravalli also pointed to the Flyers as a natural fit. Philadelphia has been shopping for help on the back end.
There’s a cap catch for whoever lands him, though. Since the season is already a week old, the first year of any new Edvinsson deal will count for more than its average value. Seravalli used round numbers to show it: a seven-year, $70 million contract signed today would carry a $10.4 million cap hit in year one instead of $10 million.
Every day he stays unsigned pushes it higher. It matters less for Detroit, which has cap space, than for a team trading for him. RFAs have until Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. ET to sign and be eligible to play this season, so the Edvinsson clock is ticking.
