Detroit is having one of the worst offseasons in NHL history. Their captain asked for a trade, the request became public, and the team has refused to move him. The request came after a very public disagreement between Dylan Larkin and GM Steve Yzerman. Detroit then moved Yzerman out of his GM and executive vice president roles and into a senior adviser position, leaving the team without a permanent GM.
One of the names seriously considered for the job, Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg, withdrew from the search, and Detroit began the season in flux with Shawn Horcoff as interim GM. Horcoff is still only the interim, and the biggest problems have gone unresolved since he took over. Larkin is still on the team and was showered with boos by Detroit fans during the home opener, Alex DeBrincat still has no contract extension, and promising young defenseman Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned.
Edvinsson originally appeared to be okay with his contract situation. He seemingly understood that with the GM fiasco, it might take a little longer to get his new deal. He was so comfortable with the situation that he even attended training camp without a contract. Well, camp came and went and Edvinsson remained unsigned. He returned home to Sweden as the season started, and Elliotte Friedman has now reported that Edvinsson prefers to be traded out of Detroit.
Edvinsson, at worst, is a top-four defenseman. Every team in the league would be wise to add someone of his caliber. Somehow, the lowly Detroit Red Wings are playing hardball with him. You would think the team would take the easy win and just sign the guy. Detroit has reportedly made longer-term offers, but there is still no deal, and now Edvinsson would apparently rather be somewhere else.
At this rate, Detroit could be looking at losing Edvinsson, Larkin, and DeBrincat before the start of next season. This is a franchise staring down the possibility of another major reset that could have been avoided if they had moved on from Yzerman earlier, found a way to resolve Larkin’s request before it became a season-long public mess, or just simply signed their very good young defenseman.
The Edvinsson drama might drag on for a few weeks, but I can all but guarantee several teams are calling. The Penguins should be one of them every single day.
Sad times to be a fan of a franchise that once went 25 straight seasons making the playoffs.
