Craig Button rates Simon Edvinsson as third-best NHL-affiliated prospect

Button also ranked Red Wings goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa at the No. 13 position on his list. The Red Wings originally selected Cossa with the 15th-overall pick in 2021.

Edvinsson, 19, has been a force to be reckoned with in the Swedish Hockey League this season. The 6’4″ left-handed defenseman amassed 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 44 SHL games with Frölunda HC; he also has a pair of assists in three playoff games.

“He’s got that skating and he’s got that length, that ease of play that’s reminiscent of Victor Hedman,” Button told TSN.ca. “But not the same level of offence. That’s how I would describe Edvinsson.”

Cossa, 19, was the first goaltender off the board in 2021 but ranks seven spots behind Minnesota Wild prospect Jesper Wallstedt (No. 6) on Button’s list. In 45 Western Hockey League games with the Edmonton Oil Kings this season, Cossa has a 32–9–3 record and a .911 save percentage.

“A lot of big goalies rely on their size and then as they move up levels, they struggle a bit. But he is not just a big goalie,” Button said of the 6’6″ Cossa. “He’s a goalie that uses his size effectively. He doesn’t open up. I have to believe that Steve Yzerman looks at him and has to see Andrei Vasilevskiy in him.”

Button’s 2021 top-50 prospects list featured a pair of Red Wings on the podium: Moritz Seider (No. 1) and Lucas Raymond (No. 3). Edvinsson and Cossa are the only two Red Wings prospects on the 2022 iteration of Button’s rankings.

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