Rival teams have started calling the Red Wings about Simon Edvinsson, and the young defenceman has returned to Sweden while his contract standoff drags on.
Pierre LeBrun reported the calls. Detroit's message, for now, is that signing Edvinsson remains the priority, not trading him.
That doesn't make the calls meaningless. Other general managers smell uncertainty, and they want to know how real it is.
The sticking point is term. Detroit reportedly prefers a shorter bridge-type deal, while the defenceman's camp has pushed for significantly more.
Chris Johnston reported the Red Wings have moved somewhat toward the term his side wants. Frank Seravalli still doesn't see the two sides as particularly close.
David Pagnotta has floated a number too. A maximum seven-year deal, he reported, could land somewhere between $9 million and $11 million annually.
Shawn Horcoff's bridge deal stance puts Edvinsson's future in doubt
Edvinsson is 23, 6-foot-6 and a left shot, taken sixth overall in 2021. Players with that profile almost never hit the trade market.
He finished +12 in each of the last two seasons, with 25 points in 72 games last year.
Elliotte Friedman has also reported Detroit resisting significant term. That's the gap interim GM Shawn Horcoff has to close.
Give him the term. A bridge deal saves money now and costs a fortune later, and Detroit can't afford another star walking away unhappy.
Offering a bridge to this player is like leasing the house you already know you want to own. You pay more in the end, and the landlord gets ideas.
The week has already been brutal. Dylan Larkin was booed while introduced with the scratches at the home opener, and fans are openly questioning whether players want to be in Detroit.
The Red Wings host Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon. With Edvinsson in Sweden and unsigned, he won't be part of it.
The phones are ringing for a reason. If Horcoff doesn't find a term that works, one of those callers will eventually find a price that does.
Should the Red Wings give Simon Edvinsson the long-term deal he wants?
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