The Detroit Red Wings find themselves in a conundrum with Simon Edvinsson. While the organization would prefer to sign him, Edvinsson would rather move on from Detroit.
And if that’s the only way out, there may be a solution for the Red Wings in Vancouver. Specifically, the return of a familiar face could be the solution Detroit is looking for.
That familiar face is Filip Hronek.
Hronek was once a Red Wings prospect. However, the rebuild and the need for a new contract in 2023 prompted the rebuilding Wings to find a new home for the high-end defensive defenseman.
Fast forward a couple of seasons, and the Canucks are in the midst of an incipient rebuild, while the Red Wings are trying to become playoff contenders. And that’s why swapping Edvinsson for Hronek might not be the worst idea in the world.
Hronek would give the Red Wings an absolute workhorse of a defenseman, someone who could team up with Moritz Seider on a mind-shocking top pair. In fact, a Seider-Hronek pair might instantly become the NHL’s best duo.
It’s worth pointing out that the familiarity between the Red Wings and Hronek could be just the thing to make this entire discussion work. That, and Hronek’s $7.25 million cap hit, make this idea one of the least hair-brained ones out there.
Canucks might even allow Red Wings to solve two problems in one
One of the longest-rumored trade targets for Detroit has been Elias Pettersson. During the summer, Petterson was seen as a potential Dylan Larkin replacement.
So, if the Canucks could send Pettersson and Hronek to Detroit, would that solve two problems in one for the Red Wings?
Adding Pettersson would almost immediately allow the organization to replace Larkin, potentially allowing it to trade Larkin to one of the teams on his current trade list. In fact, landing Pettersson, and yes, his $11.6 million cap hit, would give the Red Wings a chance to lower the price tag ever so slightly.
If that’s the case, it would allow the Red Wings to get out from under all of their current pressures and move on.
And that might be the most valuable thing of all. The Red Wings, while hardly willing to just dump Larkin and Edvinsson for whatever they can get, need to close the book on both players as soon as possible.
And if the Canucks can offer a way out, so be it. Whatever the Red Wings can get on top of that could be an added bonus.
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