The Detroit Red Wings announced that defenseman Simon Edvinsson underwent successful shoulder surgery on May 1.
He is expected to make a recovery and be back in action in four to six months. Edvinsson played most of this season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, scoring five goals and 27 points in 52 games. He also played a nine-game stint in the NHL with the Red Wings, scoring two goals.
Edvinsson was originally selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft by the Red Wings. He was one of the best defensemen available in a defense-heavy draft and projects to be a top-four NHL defenseman for the foreseeable future.
The Kungsbacka, Sweden native is part of a young core of Red Wings that hopes to turn this proud franchise into a perennial contender like they were in the 1990s and 2000s. The young, skilled core includes Marco Kasper, Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Sebastian Cossa, and Michael Rasmussen. On top of those players, they have a nice complement of capable veterans to steer the ship in the right direction.
The Red Wings will need Edvinsson in peak physical and mental shape when he returns next season. It is possible he’ll return in time for training camp but most likely he will miss training camp and the first part of the regular season as well. Edvinsson’s injury means the team will likely opt to start him in the AHL and see if he can come up to the NHL at some point in the season, similar to this year.
The Red Wings have missed the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons, tied for the longest playoff drought in franchise history. Detroit will have to take a major leap forward if they hope to make the playoffs in 2023-24. At the very least, they will need to be better than the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and one of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers or Boston Bruins. That is a tall task for a young team to accomplish.
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