Why the Red Wings and Simon Edvinsson need each other

The Detroit Red Wings have looked messy at best and downright atrocious at worst. While the defense on the right side has improved substantially, the defense is still missing something. A 6'6" something, to be more specific.

People are spewing all sorts of theories that may or may not have any validity to them. Reports infer that Simon Edvinsson was offered such a lowball number that his agent didn’t even respond to it. Now, allegedly, Edvinsson isn’t answering or returning phone calls from Detroit. 

In some ways, I give the young Swede props. It’s important to know one’s worth, to set boundaries and maintain those boundaries even if the world tells us not to. 

Especially after putting so much effort and showing how much he wanted to be in Detroit, it’s ridiculous. Both Edvinsson and fans deserve better from President and CEO Chris Ilitch, interim general manager Shawn Horcoff and the ownership group. It doesn’t matter who is in charge, signing Edvinsson should’ve been a number one priority -- ideally, without any disrespect thrown Edvinsson’s way in the precess.

At the same time, playing in the NHL is not an easy thing. To do so at such a high level requires a supportive team and environment. Fortunately, it appears as if the Red Wings are working on addressing that. From the coach to the players, they have created a bit of a special dynamic that’s delicate and not easy to replicate.

Simon Edvinsson may not need the Red Wings, but life is a whole lot easier in Hockeytown for this reason

Former general manager Steve Yzerman made plenty of mistakes in his tenure (including setting the expectation that young players shouldn’t get paid too much too soon, which is likely part of the reason for this Edvinsson contract debacle). 

Drafting and trading for blue liners that are finally starting to bloom isn’t one of those problems. His first pick was also a home run with a selection that everyone questioned. Moritz Seider makes life so much easier for his teammates and within the organization.

Respectfully, other teams don’t have Seider. Their fans and mathematicians can spout on about their numbers, their favorite players or why player X is superior to Seider. But Seider's performance goes beyond just the ice. He's as dedicated to his teammates and the game as anyone. While serious about winning, the German defender brings this energy to the rink that most players lose in their hunt for greatness. He reminds people the love of hockey.

Finding a defensive partner to click with so early on in a career is nearly impossible. Yet, despite this, Edvinsson has already found his ideal defensive partner in Seider.

It’s not say that Edvinsson can’t or won’t find a decent replacement elsewhere. He'll carve out a great career no matter who he’s paired with or where he goes, but few, if any, will match the level Seider meets with him.

It’s taken the Wings five years to find a compatible partner for Seider. Five. While other teams might find a plausible option for Edvinsson, I find it hard to believe that any other player might fit together so seamlessly with Edvinsson as Seider does. Just two draft years apart, they would have a long career together—if they choose to pursue it. 

In short, the proof is in the pudding. They create magic together on the ice. And while, many people might say Edvinsson had a luxury playing next to Seider, Edvinsson also made life so much easier for Seider. 

Why the Detroit Red Wings need Simon Edvinsson

If nothing else, Detroit management may not owe anyone anything to anyone. However, when we look at a player of Seider’s caliber, especially with his dedication and commitment to the team and his unwavering loyalty, there is a duty to help him to the best of anyone’s ability. 

Edvinsson’s former defensive partner from the Grand Rapids Griffins days, Albert Johansson, is coming into his own as he is currently paired with Seider. Johansson seems to be adjusting to the top-pair defenseman duties okay. 

Of all the defensive pairs in Hockeytown, Seider and Johansson have played the most at five-on-five—logging over 30 minutes of ice time together in their first three games. 

They have performed alright with a 52.83% Corsi For Percentage (CF%), 60% High Danger Chances For Percentage (HDCF%), and less-than-stellar 44.35% expected Goals For Percentage (xGF%). Essentially, they’re above average in creating dangerous chances in the offensive zone, but about average in the grand scheme of things.

For reference, the next pairing in time on ice (TOI) for the Wings is Justin Faulk and Anton Johansson with 29:08. They have excelled with a 60.47% CF%, a bit lower HDCF% at 54.55%, and an xGF% of 55.55%. Ben Chiarot and Axel Sandin-Pellikka are the third most in TOI with 24:53. Their CF% is 55.56%, HDCF% 68.75%, and xGF% of 62.84%. Although their numbers might look intriguing, their pairing illustrates why context matters so much. 

Of all three pairings, Chiarot/Sandin-Pellikka’s start offensive zone faceoff percentage is 68.42%, meanwhile the Faulk/Anton pairing and Seider/Albert pairings sit at 52.63% and 54.55%. This means that almost 70% of the starts for the Chiarot/Sandin-Pellikka pairing are in the offensive zone. They don’t have to exit their own zone or break into the offensive zone as they already start there. It makes life easier (especially for a defenseman on the back-nine of his career and the other getting acclimated to the NHL).

As context, the Edvinsson and Seider pairing last season saw almost 1,100 minutes of ice time (nearly double the next defensive pairing for Detroit). They finished their season with a CF% of 52.90%, an HDCF% of 51.97%, and the xGF% of 55%. Remarkably, they had a 43.80% offensive zone faceoff percentage. In short, they performed above-average in each category while getting the most challenging deployment in terms of starts on the ice.

They also faced the opponent’s best players (both forwards and defense) each shift. To be able to face the opponent’s best and still generate above-average numbers is incredible (especially when we factor in the Red Wings roster construction as a whole). Adding in that it was just Edvinsson’s first full NHL season, it’s impressive what these two have accomplished so far. 

The Red Wings are simply better with Edvinsson in the lineup

Seider has found his, seemingly, preferred defensive partner. Although he will say the right things, history has shown that he performs better with Edvinsson in the lineup. In this day and age, talent is harder to come by, and it compounds when players that should work on paper (like a Chiarot and Seider) just don’t in real life; it’s not anybody’s fault that it doesn’t. However, when there’s a partner that flows so naturally with Seider, why is he not the priority? 

Since he joined the Griffins' blue line, I’ve come to appreciate that Edvinsson makes any defensive partner better. It’s not isolated to Seider, though it would be silly to not play them together. There are a couple of other guys I could compare them to, butt in completely different ways. The Euro Twins of old were a bit smaller and flashed a bit more skill, but what Seider and Edvinsson have done and have the potential to do is something special. 

It’s completely understandable if Edvinsson wants to walk away from the organization as a whole given the craziness he’s been through. At the same time, I can’t help but wonder what might happen if he stays with the Detroit Red Wings. 

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