The Boston Bruins are the latest team linked to the Simon Edvisson story out of Detroit, where the young star defenseman would reportedly prefer a trade over signing an extension with the Red Wings.
Edvinsson is currently not with the Red Wings, as he lacks a contract and is skating in Sweden as he awaits his future.
According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun:
“Boston is among a long list of teams that has shown interest in Simon Edvinsson. Believe there’s at least 10 teams that have inquired. But those teams are being told by interim GM Shawn Horcoff that his preference remains trying to re-sign the RFA.”
LeBrun adds, “The longer this goes on, obviously a trade becomes possible. But Detroit still wants to sign him.”
Will The Red Wings Get This Deal Done with Edvinsson?
Believed to be an organization at a standstill, there were questions about who was making decisions in Detroit. Was it Horcoff? Was it the team’s governor, president, and CEO Chris Illitch? Many believed that a lack of clarity on who could sign extensions or who could trade players gave partial explanation as to why Dylan Larkin hadn’t been traded and Edvisson hadn’t been signed.
LeBrun cleared that up on Thursday.
“Horcoff has full authority from ownership to get an extension done with Edvisson, who has been offered long-, mid-, and short-term deals. There remains a sizeable gap on salary.”
As for what the offers have been, that much isn’t clear. Some believe a five- or six-year deal around $8.5 million has been offered, but turned down. It is believed that Edvinsson hasn’t ruled out an extension with the Red Wings, but until they get closer to what he and his agent deem a reasonable offer, he’ll remain where he is.
What Are the Bruins Willing to Offer?
Elliotte Friedman also reported that Detroit is willing to wait this out a bit, see where it goes. “Like I’ve heard they’ve asked for some pretty big players in return. Like some top-end guys.”
The Bruins have a few young players they might dangle, including, but not limited to, Matthew Poitras and Mason Lohrei. Both might be of interest to the Red Wings, but it would take more, including draft picks.
There’s also speculation about the future of Pavel Zacha, but the Red Wings would likely want to do a sign-and-trade, with the understanding that Zacha, a pending UFA, is open to staying with the Red Wings long term.
Reports suggest that Zacha was offered in a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this year in an attempt to land Kirill Marchenko. Zach does have an eight-team no-trade list, which means the Red Wings would need to be on his list of approved teams.
This Isn’t Close To Being a Done Deal
What’s clear is that the Bruins are just one of several teams who have likely check in on the Edvinsson situation. Frankly, it would be surprising if nearly 20 teams at least made a call to Horcoff to see where things stand.
It will require significant pieces to make the deal and a willingness to sign Edvinsson to a long-term, lucrative contract extension. Meanwhile, the Red Wings aren’t giving up hope that this could get done.
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