The Detroit Red Wings have a lot to deal with this summer. Captain Dylan Larkin shocked many around the NHL by requesting a trade out of town. The club then parted ways with general manager Steve Yzerman. According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, the team’s top exec was forced out of the job. On top of these issues, Detroit has to navigate free agency, including dealing with restricted free agents.
Simon Edvinsson is the most important Detroit Red Wings player in this latter category. The highly rated defenseman will be looking for a significant contract extension this summer. He most recently finished off a three-year, $5.3 million deal with the Red Wings. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox now believes the blueliner will likely soon grab around $70 million.
“Logging 22-plus minutes a night while contributing at both ends of the ice, tilting it against matchups against the league’s top forward lines, Edvinsson has positioned himself as worthy of a max-term, life-changing contract extension,” writes Fox. “Think Jackson LaCombe in Anaheim (eight years, $78 million) or Luke Hughes in New Jersey (seven years, $63 million).”
These comps are certainly interesting. Edvinsson is similarly aged as both LaCombe and Hughes. Yet the Detroit Red Wings blueliner failed to post comparable stats as either of the two budding stars. In fact, LaCombe most recently put up 33 more points than Edvinsson in 2025-26. The Red Wings, however, will be paying their future star for what he does in the coming years, not the past.
Detroit Red Wings Could Make Simon Edvinsson Their Highest-Paid Player
GettySimon Edvinsson is expected to develop into a key defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings.
The Detroit Red Wings clearly rate Edvinsson very highly. In fact, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman previously hinted that Yzerman rejected a chance to land superstar Quinn Hughes because the Vancouver Canucks wanted Edvinsson. Quinn was apparently open to joining Detroit, but the team’s now-former exec ultimately opted to resist the deal. Hughes eventually recorded 53 points in 48 games with the Minnesota Wild.
Assuming the Red Wings do give Edvinsson a long-term deal worth $70 million, he would become the most expensive player on the team. Larkin’s eight-year, $69.5 million contract currently leads all players. Mo Seider, the Red Wings’ top blueliner, currently earns $8.55 million annually for a total of just under $60 million.
Previous predictions had Edvinsson earning a contract in the $8.7 million AAV range. This massive annual figure could even approach the $10 million mark if another NHL team targets the Detroit defenseman with an offer sheet. The Carolina Hurricanes were recently linked with making such a proposal. While matching this offer would sting, the Detroit Red Wings do have nearly $20 million in projected cap space.
Detroit Hopeful Young Defenseman is Now Healthy
The young Detroit Red Wings defenseman previously claimed that he wants to remain with the organization for the foreseeable future. Edvinsson was specifically asked if he wanted to sign a long-term extension with Detroit back in April. “Of course,” replied the blueliner. “It’s where I got drafted. I felt like ever since I came here, it’s been great. All the people around, teammates, fans around, it’s been great. So, yeah, it would be an honor.”
Assuming an extension gets ironed out soon, and this is extremely likely, the Red Wings will hope Edvinsson’s knee issues are in the past. The youngster underwent multiple procedures to fix the nagging knee problem in the last year. After returning from the last surgery in February, he was able to finish out the 2025-26 without any more issues.
Red Wings Defenseman Expected to Earn $70 Million Contract