Things have gone from bad to worse for the Detroit Red Wings. It was a chaotic summer that began with the Red Wings missing the playoffs, leading then-captain Dylan Larkin to ask for a trade out of Detroit. Soon after, Steve Yzerman was removed as general manager, with restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson needing a new contract.
As the Red Wings look for a new general manager, they are still doing that as we speak; even though Shawn Horcoff was tagged with the interim tag, contract discussions with Edvinsson have not gone as planned. Before Yzerman’s departure, the Red Wings and Edvinsson’s camp discussed a bridge deal.
Simon Edvinsson and Alexander Nikishin are Benefiting from Rising Market
As Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reported on the DFO Rundown Insider Podcast, the initial offer to Edvinsson was less than half of Zeev Buium‘s AAV. Buium has an AAV of $9.38 million on an eight-year deal. So if $4.69 million is half of $9.38 million, then it was under that number.
Given the market for defenseman Brandt Clarke ($7.4 million AAV), Simon Nemec ($7.2 million AAV), Pavel Mintyukov, and Tristan Luneau, each at $7.2 million AAV, it’s safe to say neither Edvinsson nor his camp were impressed by that number.
Edvinsson went to camp intending to sign a new deal. That has not happened, and he is back in Frolunda training with his old club. No resolution appears in sight. The Red Wings and Simon Edvinsson are on opposite sides when it comes to a deal.
Simon Edvinsson and Alexander Nikishin are Benefiting from Rising Market
As Pagnotta noted on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Edvinsson’s camp wants either a max seven-year deal or a two-year deal. The Red Wings are looking at a mid-tier bridge deal.
“The other thing, and I go back to Detroit, going back to Simon Edvinsson. That one’s an interesting one. It seems like there have been some reports that Detroit wants a mid-tier bridge-type contract. I don’t think that’s the case, or I know that’s not the case from the player side. It’s either give me a seven-year max-term deal, or just give me two years, and that seems to be the sticking point going back and forth.”
However, as he notes, there is some frustration, but not to the point of a trade request.
“So much to the point now where there’s a lot of frustration on the players’ end, and I don’t believe a trade request has been made. But the longer this goes, it wouldn’t surprise me if that frustration boils into a maybe it’s best if we just all go our separate ways. So something to keep tabs on there.”
What Direction Will the Detroit Red Wings Choose; Rebuild or Stay the Course?
However, everyone knows how the Detroit Red Wings operate. They want to keep Moritz Seider and his $8.55 million AAV as the upper limit on defence even with a rising salary cap. Simon Edvinsson could land somewhere between $9 million and $11 million, depending on the deal term.
So while Dylan Larkin’s trade request still stands, the Red Wings’ priority is signing Simon Edvinsson. Detroit can’t allow what happened in Anaheim to affect how they do business. They need to sign him before moving on to other business, including Larkin’s trade request and Alex DeBrincat‘s extension, which Detroit hasn’t begun yet.
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