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Salvaging relationship with Dylan Larkin is great, but that shouldn’t be Red Wings’ priority

The Detroit Red Wings' efforts to mend bridges with Dylan Larkin should not overshadow the obvious need to sign Simon Edvinsson.
ByNestor Quixtan
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Jan 21, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson (77) waits for play to resume after a time out against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Jan 21, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson (77) waits for play to resume after a time out against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The talk surrounding a potential mending of bridges between Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings is all well and nice.

It would be great to see the two sides sort of patch things up and let the water flow under the bridge. And while that is certainly important, interim GM Shawn Horcoff is spending critical time and energy on the wrong guy.

The Red Wings should be looking to fix their relationship with Simon Edvinsson. After all, Horcoff has been adamant about the organization’s desire to keep Edvinsson in the fold.

If that’s truly the case, then the Wings should be doing everything in their power to ensure Edvinsson re-signs before the December 1 deadline.

And that’s just the thing. Unlike Dylan Larkin, there is an actual deadline with Simon Edvinsson. Theoretically, the Red Wings could keep the Larkin saga ongoing until his contract expires. But that’s not the case with Edvinsson. If the Red Wings, or any other team, is unable to sign the RFA defenseman before this season’s deadline, then he’ll be ineligible to play during the 2026-27 season. At that point, this season will become a lost year for the 23-year-old.

Yes, it’s great that the Red Wings want to keep their erstwhile captain in the fold. But there are clearly other priorities that Detroit needs to focus on.

Dylan Larkin problem was easier to solve than Simon Edvinsson

Perhaps the decision to try to smooth things over with Dylan Larkin is something rooted in practicality. It might just be one of those situations in which Horcoff wanted to get an easier task out of the way before focusing his attention on a bigger one.

And if that’s the case, it would make sense. Larkin is as good as untradeable at this point. The Red Wings can’t possibly come down from their price tag now, and, well, the teams that would be interested in the 30-year-old (i.e., Minnesota Wild) don’t really have the wherewithal to match the price tag.

So, it might just be easier to sign a ceasefire with Dylan Larkin and then focus on signing Simon Edvinsson.

The fact is that if the Red Wings give up on trying to re-sign the Swedish blueliner, the focus has to invariably turn to trading him. And that prospect could become much more complex. Hence, it makes sense to provisionally solve the Dylan Larkin saga and then transfer full attention to Edvinsson.

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