- Simon Edvinsson is back home in Sweden, skating with his old SHL club Frolunda
- The Red Wings open their season Friday with their unsigned defenseman an ocean away
- Read below for the video and where contract talks stand
Simon Edvinsson is back in Sweden.
The unsigned Red Wings defenseman practiced with Frolunda HC on Wednesday, two days before Detroit opens its season. Swedish reporter Andreas III Johnsson was first with it, posting video of Edvinsson on the ice with his old SHL club.
Take a look at Edvinsson back in Frolunda gear:
Edvinsson spent all of training camp in Detroit on what amounted to a tryout while his agent kept talking with the team. That arrangement ran its course once camp wrapped up and the regular season got close.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said the trip home isn’t meant as a shot at the Red Wings. Edvinsson and his agent decided Sweden was the best place for him to stay in shape, and talks with Detroit are still going on a daily basis.
Here’s LeBrun’s update:
Term is still the sticking point. Detroit prefers a bridge deal, while Edvinsson wants something longer. Interim GM Shawn Horcoff has been running the show since Steve Yzerman stepped down in July, and the Wings still haven’t named a permanent replacement.
Detroit now opens Friday against the Rangers without one of its top-four defensemen. The team already claimed Andreas Englund off waivers from Calgary last week to help cover the hole.
Last season, Edvinsson had nine goals and 25 points in 72 games while logging 22:21 a night, a workload only Moritz Seider topped on that blue line. The 6-foot-6 Swede, taken sixth overall in 2021, has 60 points in 175 career NHL games.
Restricted free agents have until Dec. 1 to sign if they want to play in the NHL this season. Until a deal gets done, the Red Wings are one big body short on the back end.
