The Detroit Red Wings have some important business to deal with before the 2026-27 season starts. Dylan Larkin’s future at the club has understandably received plenty of attention. After all, the now-former captain requested a trade months ago and is still in limbo. Meanwhile, restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson is still without a contract after his previous three-year, $5.3 million deal expired.
Negotiations between the star defenseman and the Red Wings have been slow due to the club not having an official general manager. Detroit, however, has now named Shawn Horcoff as interim GM. According to Edvinsson’s agent, J.P. Barry, the move has accelerated contract discussions involving the blueliner. In fact, Barry has claimed that he has already spoken to Horcoff regarding the matter.
“We spoke (on September 15). (Horcoff) now has the authority to negotiate on behalf of the club,” Barry told Swedish outlet Expressen. The agent is also optimistic that an agreement can be reached before the 2026-27 campaign begins. “We have two weeks before the season starts, so hopefully we can find an agreement before then,” continued Barry.
Edvinsson was previously the sixth-overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 draft. The 6’6″ blueliner burst onto the scene with 31 points during his freshman NHL season in 2024-25. Although his offensive output dropped a bit this past season, he cemented himself on Detroit’s top defensive pairing alongside Mo Seider.
Detroit Red Wings Delays Likely Help Simon Edvinsson in Negotiations
As negotiations between Edvinsson and the Detroit Red Wings now continue, the biggest question will be how much an extension will cost the club. It was previously predicted that the budding star’s next contract would reach $70 million. This, however, now seems extremely unlikely. Due to the new NHL CBA going into effect on September 16, players can only sign for a max of seven years.
According to the aforementioned Swedish news website, the blueliner is expected to earn somewhere between $7 million and $9 million per year. If true, the defenseman’s next contract will be a max of $63 million over seven years. Nevertheless, a shorter deal also cannot be ruled out.
According to PuckPedia.com, the Detroit Red Wings have the most available cap space in the NHL at $19.5 million. Horcoff can definitely afford to pay Edvinsson. The blueliner’s price tag, however, may have gone up in recent weeks. The Vancouver Canucks recently gave fellow defenseman Zeev Buium a long-term deal worth $9.38 million AAV. The Detroit youngster and his agent could certainly push for a similar figure.
Defenseman Seemingly Prefers to Stay in Detroit
The situation likely gives Detroit Red Wings fans an uneasy feeling. This is especially considering there has been outside interest in Edvinsson throughout the season. Despite this, the star defenseman recently proclaimed his love for his current city. “I love Detroit, and I love the fans,” he told Aftonbladet. “I love everything here… Detroit is the place closest to my heart, absolutely.”
For now, Larkin is Detroit’s highest-paid player with an AAV of $8.75 million. There is a chance that Edvinsson could soon eclipse that figure, though. At worst, the blueliner will soon become a top-five paid player on the team. Regardless of his contract situation, he will take part in Red Wings training camp starting on September 17.
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