Simon Edvinsson and the Detroit Red Wings are working to close a new contract, with a deal that could land as soon as Thursday.
Kevin Allen reported Wednesday night that both sides are pushing to get something finalized fast, according to The Sheet.
Edvinsson is coming off a season where the 23-year-old defenseman posted 25 points in 72 games, with 9 goals and 16 assists.
He finished the year with a plus-12 rating and chipped in two game-winning goals, numbers that carry weight at the negotiating table.
Detroit is still paying him on his entry-level deal, a cap hit of $894,166 that doesn't reflect what he's now worth on the back end.
The Red Wings just wrapped a rough stretch, dropping their final three games of the year and finishing 2-6-2 over their last 10.
Edvinsson played in 72 of Detroit's 82 games this season, a workload head coach Todd McLellan leaned on all year long.
Why the timing on this deal actually matters
Over that last-10 stretch, Edvinsson managed just three points, zero goals and three assists, a quiet close to a season that still graded out as a breakout.
So what changes if Detroit locks this up by Thursday? It buys cost certainty on a young defenseman who's still climbing, instead of negotiating against a rising price tag next summer.
Getting this done now is the right move for Steve Yzerman and this front office. Letting a bargain like this drift into arbitration season is like selling a lottery ticket before checking the numbers.
Nothing is signed yet. And until it is, every Red Wings fan checking their phone tonight knows exactly how fast a "tomorrow" promise can slip into next week.
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Should the Red Wings lock up Simon Edvinsson now instead of betting on his ceiling rising the price later?
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