Yesterday, one of the last two restricted free agents in the NHL - Alexander Nikishin - signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The only restricted free agent still unsigned is Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
Edvinsson, still in the throes of contract negotiations with the Red Wings, has yet to sign a deal, with some noting that he's hoping to land around $11M a season on a seven-year contract. The Red Wings, on the other hand, are open-minded on term, but seem adamant on salary. They're hoping to keep Edvinsson's contract as close to Mortiz Seider's $8.55M/year contract as they possibly can.
Unfortunately for the Red Wings, the salary cap isn't what it was when Seider signed his deal. Negotiations have stalled to the point where Edvinsson has openly said he would prefer to be traded at this point -- something that interim general manager Shawn Horcoff wants to avoid for as long as possible.
Edvinsson is a ticking time bomb
What's especially concerning is the slowly approaching December 1 deadline.
If Edvinsson remains unsigned by December 1, the defenseman will be unable to play in the NHL this season. This, of course, is an outcome both parties hope to avoid by any means necessary. Edvinsson, obviously, wants to play NHL hockey. If he's still in this situation by the time November rolls around, there's a chance he could either formally request a trade or sign an offer sheet to get his way onto a new hockey club.
The Red Wings hope it won't come to that.
According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Horcoff and Edvinsson met early last week to discuss Edvinsson's situation. While it doesn't seem like anything has changed, it's likely the negotiations will kick into high gear if this carries on through November.
Nikishin contract should offer opportunity for Horcoff, Edvinsson
Nikishin's contract, while a one-year deal, gives the Red Wings a bit of a jumping off point. While a one-year deal is just kicking the can down the road, it at least allows the negotiations to continue at a much healthier pace than where they're at right now. A one-year deal (or another short term bridge) gives Edvinsson the chance to prove he's worth the money while giving Detroit a way to monitor Edvinsson's continued development.
That said, getting Edvinsson to agree to a bridge deal at this point seems like wishful thinking.
The good news is that it doesn't seem like the team has reached a point of no return with Edvinsson. While he's said his preference is to be traded, he has yet to formally request a trade. This implies that he's still open to negotiations and may be ready to sign a deal when the time comes.
It's up to Horcoff to get this over the finish line before December 1, though. He's got just a little over a month to get a deal done and can't afford to play passive for much longer.
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