Red Wings Have No Interest In Trading Simon Edvinsson

Contract negotiations have dragged out the start of the 2026-27 season for Detroit Red Wings’ defenseman Simon Edvinsson. The 23 year old is looking for the first deal after his entry-level contract, which saw him rise into a top-four role on the Red Wings’ blue line. Disagreements in salary have pushed negotiations into mid-October despite Edvinsson being offered short-, mid-, and long-term options. That stall pushed Edvinsson to return to Sweden for training and even request a trade away from the Red Wings. Detroit reportedly has no interest in honoring that request, interim general manager Shawn Horcoff told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.

Detroit’s decision will lock the team into negotiations with Edvinsson. The market for young defenders boomed over the summer. Three defenders age 23-or-younger signed contracts with an annual average value above $7MM – Los Angeles’ Brandt Clarke, Calgary’s Simon Nemec, and Anaheim’s Pavel Mintyukov. All three defenders signed for five-years, while Philadelphia’s Jamie Drysdale signed a four-year deal carrying a $6.5MM cap hit.

Those contracts could offer a reasonable comparable for Edvinsson’s next deal. He has averaged the second-most ice time on the Red Wings’ blue line since 2024 – and marked those minutes with 56 points, 180 hits, and 292 shot blocks in 150 games. Those numbers average out to 31 points, 98 hits, and 160 shot blocks per 82 games.

Edvinsson has proven capable of making a consistent impact while playing against top competition. That presence should only continue to grow as he moves into his prime years – something his next contract will inevitably carry him into.

While Edvinsson has made a big splash, his impact isn’t likely to carry him above Detroit’s star defender, Moritz Seider. The Chicago Blackhawks signed Bowen Byram to a six-year, $75MM ($12.5MM cap hit) contract over the summer, while the Vancouver Canucks signed Zeev Buium to an eight-year, $75.04MM ($9.38MM cap hit) deal shortly after. Both defenders are expected to lead the blue line over the duration of their deal – a load Edvinsson won’t need to carry with Seider at the helm.

With a slew of young defenders signing over the summer, it appears Edvinsson’s brackets are in place. Taking his peers’ deals into account, the likeliest contract would sit between three-and-six years, and $6MM and $8.5MM in annual average value. Any higher would exceed Seider’s own cap hit. Detroit could comfortably afford any deal in that range with $15.92MM in available cap space per PuckPedia.

Horcoff told St. James that the Red Wings are working diligently to get Edvinsson under contract – and are open to all options regarding the contract structure. Detroit could surely use his defensive support, as they’ve averaged 3.17 goals-against per-game, tied for 11th-worst in the league. The Red Wings are also averaging 2.33 goals-for per-game, ranked fifth-worst in the league. They have already utilized eight defensemen in the NHL lineup, of which only three – Seider, Justin Faulk, and William Wallinder – have multiple points through six games.

Edvinsson will be a notable upgrade to the Detroit lineup. He should return to 20 minutes a night right away, taking pressure off of Ben Chiarot and Albert Johansson, who currently stand as the team’s top-two left-defenders.

Detroit will need to ensure Edvinsson’s next contract fits into their future – a task that becomes easier after signing winger Alex DeBrincat to a seven-year extension earlier in the week. With the books sorted, a clear desire to re-sign Edvinsson, and a lineup vacancy – Detroit should have more than enough motivation to get a deal done sooner rather than later.