Simon Edvinsson trade talk grows in Red Wings standoff

Detroit's front office keeps saying Edvinsson isn't going anywhere. At least 1 team around the league apparently doesn't believe it.

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Is a Simon Edvinsson trade becoming inevitable? DFO Insider David Pagnotta reveals that one NHL team thinks the Red Wings' contract standoff with Edvinsson will ultimately end in a trade. @JeffMarek | @TheFourthPeriod 🎧: t.co/TuEZH4pICZ 📺: t.co/ffho46BRHg

This isn't a random rumor coming out of nowhere. Edvinsson is a restricted free agent off his 3-year entry-level deal, and he still hasn't played a game this season. He was the 6th overall pick in 2021, and last year he put up 9 goals and 25 points in 72 games. Over 175 career NHL games he has 19 goals and 60 points. That's a 23-year-old, 2-way defenseman coming into his prime, and he's sitting at home while the Wings play without him.

Interim GM Shawn Horcoff has been about as clear as a GM can be. On October 14 he said trading Edvinsson was "not something I'm entertaining," said he had "zero interest" in moving him, and added, "We want to sign him." Detroit spent most of the negotiation pushing for a shorter bridge deal. Elliotte Friedman has since reported that the Wings switched course and put longer-term offers on the table. So Detroit is at least moving.

The other side of it is less rosy. Pierre LeBrun reported on October 21 that up to 10 teams have been in touch about Edvinsson, with the Sharks and Bruins among them. LeBrun also said Edvinsson feels this has "dragged out so long that the most logical option for him is probably a trade," though he hasn't made a formal request. Put that next to Pagnotta's report and you've got the player, the market and at least 1 rival front office all landing in the same place. The only holdout is Detroit.

The deadline that matters is December 1. If Edvinsson isn't signed by then, he can't play in the NHL this season. That gives both sides about 5 weeks. Detroit can find a number Edvinsson will take, or it can find a team willing to pay what LeBrun says the Wings want back: multiple pieces, including prospects and first-round picks, in line with what other teams have paid for young top-pair defensemen recently.

Holding firm makes sense for Detroit right up until it doesn't. Every week he sits, the Wings lose a top-4 defenseman, and the other 31 GMs get a little more sure that Detroit eventually blinks. If the next call between Horcoff and Edvinsson's camp doesn't change anything, keep an eye on Boston and San Jose.