Red Wings’ Simon Edvinsson Prefers a Trade; 3 Teams Make Sense

Carolina is the only team with a reported connection. This summer, Friedman said Edvinsson’s name came up alongside the Hurricanes, and he thought Edvinsson would be excellent for their system. Edvinsson would slot in on the left side with K’Andre Miller and Jaccob Slavin.

The piece going back would be Alexander Nikishin. He’s in a standoff of his own in Carolina, and perhaps both blueliners need a fresh start.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh’s need is obvious. The Penguins would like a young left-side defenseman, and Edvinsson is a 23-year-old with top-four minutes on his resume. There’s also a side story, as Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has Detroit interim GM Shawn Horcoff’s son, Will, in his prospect pool.

Tyler Miller of SI.com writes, “There would be such a nice reunion of father and son if Shawn Horcoff asked Dubas for his son, Will, in any kind of trade talks. Not to say that Horcoff could eventually give in to Edvinsson’s contract demands, but the youngster being in Sweden for the time being is not good for Horcoff or the organization.”

The Penguins have tried to move Ryan Graves in the past and Samuel Girard only has one more season on his current contract. Edvinsson fits their timeline to replace one of those two players.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have the assets to make a deal, and they are clearly aggressive based on their offseason attempts to improve the team. They have loads of draft capital, including four first-round picks over the next three drafts. The Hockey News also argued in August that they want to get bigger and tougher on defence, and could pay Edvinsson whatever it takes.

Detroit still holds his rights, so they don’t have to move Edvinsson. But, if they can get back a useful player, the Red Wings could make something out of this distaster they’ve walked themselves into. Interim GM Horcoff has said Edvinsson “remains a priority.” But with the season underway and the December deadline ahead, it doesn’t feel that way.