Now that Alexander Nikishin has signed a cheap one-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, all eyes are on Detroit. Simon Edvinsson is the lone unsigned restricted free agent and needs a contract before December 1 to play in the NHL this season.
The Red Wings have done themselves few favors due to an offseason riddled with turmoil involving (former) captain Dylan Larkin’s publicized trade request, turning a former top prospect into another first round pick and botching a their GM search only to land on the guy who was already serving as interim GM.
Red Wings mishandled an empty net breakaway in Edvinsson negotiations
Ignoring the obvious disconnect between team owner Chris Ilitch and the fans (and media), the cherry on top of this proverbial sundae is the baffling lack of agreement between the Red Wings and Edvinsson. Detroit’s organization seems stuck in years past as they reportedly have lowballed offers to Edvinsson for over a year in an effort to keep the 23-year-old defender’s cap hit below Seider’s $8.55 million figure.
That position dismisses the fact that the NHL salary cap has risen exponentially in the years since Seider inked his new deal. Edvinsson camp’s ask of a seven-year deal in the $9-10 million range is on par with the less established Zeev Buium’s extension with Vancouver this summer.
Beyond the ask, Edvinsson has shown in actions a commitment to Detroit that has not been a two-way street from the organization. Despite rumors of an offer sheet all summer, he entered training camp without a contract all the same. Despite the lack of deal, he reported to camp and trained with the team, taking out his own insurance policy and literally sitting in the same building as the front office staff to negotiate in good faith.
Instead, training camp ended without a deal and Edvinsson returned to Sweden until further notice. With the calendar about to flip to November, Edvinsson reportedly would “prefer a trade” due to a completely preventable mishandling of negotiations.
An organization in desperate need of a win couldn’t claim one despite it being practically gift-wrapped for them.
Protracted holdout is further hurting the Red Wings’ reputation
There is more at stake for the Red Wings organization than just the term and cap hit of a young top-pairing defenseman. Having missed the playoffs for the last 10 years (and counting), Detroit is far from the destination it was during its glory days, a fact that seems lost on old timers such as Senior VP Jim Devellano.
One of the most telling examples of this came in the 2025 offseason, when Detroit had barely missed the playoffs for the second-straight year and seemed to be a team on the rise following Todd McLellan’s mid-season hire. Despite significant interest and need for some more offensive punch, then-GM Steve Yzerman’s attempts to reach out to top free agent forward Nikolaj Ehlers were reportedly ignored.
Between the decade of playoff misses, a former captain who actively wants out and an owner living in his own reality, Detroit has a flashing neon danger sign warning off any player who could turn this ship around. Playing hard ball with a 23-year-old top pairing defenseman who bent over backwards as recently as August to get a deal done could have terrible long-term consequences down the line.
Detroit needs a reality check, and to sign Edvinsson ASAP
For an organization supposedly trying to win games, Detroit is making it awfully hard to do so. Near the end of October, the Red Wings lead the NHL with $19.68 million in cap space, more than enough to ink Edvinsson to a deal that his camp wants while still having plenty left over.
On a team with several expiring veteran contracts such as John Gibson, Justin Faulk and Andrew Copp - none of whom are likely to return after this season - signing Edvinsson to a long-term deal to is a no-brainer. The team is nearly guaranteed to be younger after this season and having someone you can easily pencil in at the top of your lineup is paramount to building a worthwhile roster.
Beyond that, Detroit needs more than just Edvinsson to become a playoff team again. Every day that goes by with the Red Wings’ front office living in a different reality than Edvinsson is another black mark on their ability to land future players.
In that respect, the Red Wings are under a microscope with the rest of the NHL now that Edvinsson is the lone RFA left on the board. Worse yet, a similar short-term deal to Nikishin would be another strike against the organization’s reputation as a city to avoid.
Simply put, any step forward in raising the talent level of this franchise is going to come from outside the organization -- preferably in a trade. With teams giving out no movement clauses like candy, it behooves Detroit to do something to make a player with options decide to come to the Red Wings. Signing Edvinsson and ending this nightmare would go a long way towards doing so.
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