Perhaps no one in the NHL has a harder job than Detroit Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff this season.
He's got a little over two weeks to sign or trade restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson. Disgruntled former captain Dylan Larkin has spent over two weeks suspended from the team. The Red Wings, despite fighting to stay in games, have lost five in a row. He'll need to determine what happens to pending unrestricted free agents like John Gibson, Andrew Copp and Justin Faulk, as well.
And that isn't even scratching the surface with how many prospects are knocking on the door.
No pressure for an interim general manager, right?
To say Horcoff has his work cut out for him is an understatement.
Horcoff has to handle pressing matters first
The first thing on his list (and likely his top priority) is dealing with the two elephants in the room: Simon Edvinsson and Dylan Larkin. Neither player wants to be in Detroit, albeit for differing reasons. Both should command a substantial return. Both have no shortage of suitors, though one gives the Red Wings more flexibility than the other.
ESPN insider Emily Kaplan revealed on Thursday night's broadcast that it's likely both the Larkin and Edvinsson deals will get done around the same time -- either at or before December 1, the deadline to sign and/or trade Edvinsson.
Fortunately, it seems that the Wings are working to find the right answer as soon as possible.
While Horcoff's "status quo" remark doesn't offer a lot of insight, the actions of his staff do: Director of Amateur Scouting Kris Draper has been spotted scouting San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings games over the last week. The West Coast teams are purportedly very "high" on Edvinsson, with one team making a serious offer.
Larkin, on the other hand, has yet to expand on his trade list. Some reports believe either he or the Red Wings will adjust expectations by American Thanksgiving. If the Red Wings change their minds, it's likely they accept the offer on the table from the Minnesota Wild. If Larkin adjusts, the Red Wings may be able to find a suitor in the Montreal Canadiens or Boston Bruins.
Someone will need to budge sooner or later, though.
What's next on Shawn Horcoff's list
Once the Larkin and Edvinsson business is sorted out, Horcoff's next step is to determine how - and when - to make room for the prospects. As of November 13, Carter Bear is tied for second in AHL scoring with 18 points in 13 games. Prospect Jesse Kiiskinen is an ideal fit for the team's bottom-six. Michal Postava has shown he's got what it takes to be an NHL starting netminder.
Don't count out Axel Sandin-Pellikka or Nate Danielson just yet, either!
In order to facilitate a few of these moves, Horcoff needs to make some decisions about pending unrestricted free agents. As of right now, he's got six on the table: Andrew Copp, Mason Appleton, Andreas Englund, Justin Faulk, Daniil Tarasov and John Gibson. It's likely he holds on to one of Gibson or Tarasov; the return on the other, however, won't likely be anything too remarkable.
The biggest prizes up for grabs are Copp and Faulk. Faulk has shown he's still a very capable minute-munching top-four defenseman. Copp, on the other hand, is a defense-first depth center who can slot in a contender's bottom-six quite easily. Appleton and Englund, on the other hand, don't provide a whole lot when it comes to offense, but slot in at very solid defensive players. They could likely return a very late round pick, but it isn't likely that they're going to yield large returns.
From there, Horcoff has just one thing left: figuring out the future of the franchise from here on.
Easy enough, right?
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