Elliotte Friedman said Friday night that Simon Edvinsson is ready to play in Sweden if the Red Wings standoff runs past December 1.
The Red Wings want to keep the 23-year-old defenseman. He wants to be traded and has refused to sign. If he doesn't have an NHL contract by December 1, he's ineligible to play for the entire 2026-27 season.
Friedman said some reporters who live in Sweden told him that "if it goes past December 1st, he's prepared to play there." His read on it: "That's how strong his resolve is."
We've followed this one for a week. Friedman said earlier that Simon Edvinsson's refusal to play for Detroit again was "very adamant," and Detroit was prepared to wait.
Edvinsson was the sixth overall pick in 2021 and played his draft-plus-one season with Frolunda HC in the SHL before coming to North America. He has since become a top-pairing fixture on the Detroit blue line, with 60 points in 175 NHL games. At 6-foot-6, he moves well enough to play big minutes in every situation.
The money is the sticking point. He's thought to be looking for a long-term deal in the $10-$11 million AAV range.
Friedman added that several teams told him they really like the player. The cost is the issue: between the acquisition price and the contract, he said, "it's really, really steep what Detroit is trying to do here."
Interest exists. We reported that the Bruins' talks for Simon Edvinsson were among those in play.
Can the Red Wings really wait out Edvinsson?
Not comfortably. Detroit is 7-10-3, 26th in the NHL, and has lost five straight, most recently 5-4 at Florida on Thursday. The goal differential sits at -9.
A team in that spot can't treat its top-pairing defenseman as an asset it can afford to lose for a season. If Edvinsson sits out or goes back to Sweden, the Wings get nothing for a sixth overall pick they developed, and the blue line is thinner for it.
Detroit's price is high, and the Wings are within their rights to ask a lot for a player like this. But a high asking price only works if somebody pays it. Friedman's report suggests the other side of this standoff isn't going to move first.
The Wings visit Tampa Bay tonight with Edvinsson listed on injured reserve for the contract dispute, and the December 1 deadline hasn't moved.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
What happens with Simon Edvinsson by December 1?
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