The Detroit Red Wings could be looking at a potential way out of the Simon Edvinsson conundrum, with the help of a Western Conference club. In particular, the Wings could have a very interested party for the RFA defenseman out west.
According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the Red Wings have gotten into serious talks with the San Jose Sharks about a potential deal involving Edvinsson. During Thursday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman delved into the matter, starting that the two sides have discussed a possible deal “extensively.”
“I do think that the Red Wings and the Sharks have talked about Edvinsson pretty extensively.”
The comments seem to point to a possible deal moving forward. However, the notable insider did not provide any type of certitude regarding how far the talks have actually gotten. There is no indication that a deal is imminent, additionally.
Friedman made his reservations clear, even if the talks have gotten pretty far down the field.
“I don’t know that that’s going to happen because I’m not sure what the Sharks are willing to do here… but I do think those teams have talked about them pretty extensively.”
Friedman did not get into the specifics of what a potential offer from San Jose could be. But given the prevailing chatter, landing Simon Edvinsson won’t come cheap in the least bit.
Red Wings Likely Keeping High Price Tag on Simon Edvinsson
Conventional wisdom would suggest that the Red Wings are likely not budging from their ask for the 23-year-old defenseman. The public line from interim GM Shawn Horcoff has been that the organization wants to re-sign Edvinsson. And that’s fine insofar as their willingness to keep the band together, so to speak.
But one has to think about the chatter suggesting that Detroit is much more flexible in the overall return for Simon Edvinsson than it is for Dylan Larkin.
It’s worth pointing out that there is a hard, December 1 deadline attached to the potential deal. As such, a predictive analytics model employed for this article estimates a 45% chance that the Red Wings trade Edvinsson based mainly on the player’s desire for a change.
That’s why, if a trade indeed materializes, talks should gain momentum in the coming weeks.
Detroit May Still Re-Sign Their RFA Defenseman
There is also the possibility of Simon Edvinsson re-signing with the Red Wings. The model estimates that there is roughly a 40% chance of a new contract getting over the line. That outcome is reasonable, particularly considering that the organization still views Edvinsson as a crucial part of its team.
However, if there were a deal there, it would have been signed months ago. Since that’s not the case, the potential for a trade looks quite murky at this point.
One other thing: The likelihood of December 1 sailing past without a trade or contract seems unlikely. The model estimates a 15% chance of that happening. It’s worth noting that if Simon Edvinsson does not sign with anyone by that deadline, he will become ineligible to play this season.
Such an outcome would be the worst-case scenario for everyone involved, and would most certainly tank his trade value, at least for this season.
Red Wings, Sharks Have Talked Simon Edvinsson ‘Extensively’