UPDATE: Simon Edvinsson would prefer to be traded out of Detroit, and the Red Wings now have a very public problem on their hands this morning.
The report surfaced Saturday night through PuckEmpire, citing @FriedgeHNIC. It landed the same night the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a 3-2 decision to the Ottawa Senators.
Leafs Twitter didn't wait long. One fan account promised to "build the statue so quick" if Toronto's front office gets a deal done.
The same post called him "EVERYTHING the Leafs need" and closed with a blunt order: "Give DET whatever it takes."
Bad idea. "Whatever it takes" is the most expensive phrase in hockey, like walking onto a car lot and promising to pay sticker before the salesman opens his mouth.
The temptation is real, though. Toronto sits 1-2-0 and has scored 6 goals through three home games.
The blue line hasn't helped much offensively. Morgan Rielly has 3 assists, and nobody else on the back end has more than one point.
Red Wings face a standoff with their 2021 sixth overall pick
Edvinsson isn't some throw-in. The 6-foot-6 Swede posted 31 points in 2024-25, his best NHL season.
He followed it with a second straight plus-12 campaign last season. His entry-level deal ran through 2025-26, leaving him a restricted free agent.
Restricted is the key word. Shawn Horcoff holds the rights, and a player's preference doesn't change that.
Detroit's start won't make anyone in that front office feel better. The Red Wings are 0-2-0 with just 2 goals scored.
Edvinsson did not dress for Sunday afternoon's 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Todd McLellan's group hosts Ottawa on Tuesday, still chasing its first win.
So what does Detroit actually want? A Hockey Patrol proposal floated Dakota Joshua plus prospects Tinus-Luc Koblar and Ben Danford.
That package feels light for a 23-year-old who reportedly prefers to leave. Detroit has every reason to make Toronto, or anyone else, pay more.
Toronto's problems don't all live on the blue line either. Sergei Bobrovsky is 0-2 with an .887 save percentage.
Anthony Stolarz, meanwhile, owns a .963 save percentage and the club's only win.
Jim Hiller's bench hosts the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, then heads out on a three-game road trip through Vegas, Colorado and Utah.
These two clubs don't meet until December 22 in Detroit. Will Edvinsson be wearing blue by then, or still training in Sweden waiting for a phone call?
The fans have already made their offer. Horcoff hasn't made his.
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Should the Maple Leafs give Detroit whatever it takes for Simon Edvinsson?
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