Red Wings Ripped Over Handling of the Simon Edvinsson Contract

The Detroit Red Wings and defenseman Simon Edvinsson are expected to talk again Sunday as the two sides try to close the gap on a new contract — a process that’s dragged on far longer than it should have, according to one columnist’s sharp take. Pierre LeBrun reports that the Red Wings are trying to get this done, but Max Bultman of The Athletic argues that the delay is inexcusable and has cost the Red Wings millions.

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Bultman writes that Detroit had an entire preseason, with four separate practice and game opportunities, to get a deal done, and still doesn’t have one. With roughly a week left before games start counting, Edvinsson now risks opening the season without a contract in place — an unforced setback the columnist says the Red Wings simply can’t afford to keep creating for themselves.

Adding to the puzzle, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported that Detroit is leaning toward a bridge deal rather than a long-term extension. That’s drawn particular criticism given the Red Wings sit more than $20 million under the salary cap, with virtually every other core piece under contract for the foreseeable future — Alex DeBrincat being the lone exception. No roster crunch forces Detroit’s hand, which makes the reluctance to commit long-term harder to explain.

Bultman writes:

“If a bridge does come to pass, it’ll look like a mistake for Detroit from the moment it’s signed, because of the missed opportunity to sign him for longer. Edvinsson could very well have a breakout season in the next year or two, tapping into more offense just as the cap goes supernova. But even if he doesn’t — even if he just keeps on the trajectory he’s on now — a $10 million or $11 million AAV deal is nothing to be afraid of given the percent of the cap that will soon occupy. He and Moritz Seider would still not combine to make what Makar will make a year from now.”

Detroit could have locked up Edvinsson before comparable deals for players like Zeev Buium and Cale Makar reset the market, but didn’t. Bultman ties part of that hesitation back to the front office itself, noting the team went without a general manager for half the summer — a gap that traces to Detroit waiting too long to part ways with Steve Yzerman, then even longer to name Shawn Horcoff the interim GM, a decision Bultman says most franchises would have made months earlier.

And none of this is Edvinsson’s fault. He so badly wanted to get a deal done with the Red Wings that he showed up to camp without a contract.

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