4 Potential Trade Destinations For Red Wings' Simon Edvinsson
The Detroit Red Wings' organizational mess is getting even uglier. After a chaotic summer that included a trade request from their captain Dylan Larkin, the firing of long-time GM Steve Yzerman, and the stripping of the captaincy from Larkin, they're still in the midst of dealing with a huge restricted free agent who remains unsigned.
As Simon Edvinsson and the Red Wings remain at odds over a new contract, the RFA has been at home in Sweden. Now, as we shared earlier on Sunday, it's been reported this weekend that Edvinsson would 'prefer' a trade out of Detroit.
With that, the rumor mill is churning, and while the Wings claim they don't want to move him, push could come to shove. It's time to take a look at four potential trade destinations for the 6'6" talented blueliner.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues have been frequently linked to another big unsigned RFA defenseman all offseason, Alexander Nikishin of the Carolina Hurricanes. Nothing has materialized yet on that front, so it's certainly a possibility that the Blues could get in on the Edvinsson bidding as an alternative solution to their blueline needs.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are hunting for some blueline help. And William James of Philly Hockey Now has suggested that the team aim high. Like 6-feet, 6-inches high, and try to land the Red Wings' disgruntled D-man.
"Simon Edvinsson is everything the Flyers have seemed to covet in a defenseman. He is big, physical, and defensive-first, but can also contribute offensively," writes James.
San Jose Sharks
With all that young elite firepower up front, how exciting would it be for the Sharks to add the 23-year-old Swede to the mix on the backend? The Sharks spent a lot of cap room bringing in veteran defensemen this past summer, like Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba, along with Michael Kesselring. But certainly, Edvinsson fits the timeline of this Sharks team much better for the long run, and somehow swinging a deal to land the top-pairing youngster would vault San Jose into the serious playoff contender category.
William Espy of The Hockey News suggests that Sam Dickinson, and at least one other recent first-round pick, from amongst the likes of Filip Bystedt, Quentin Musty, or even Ryan Lin, would have to be included to start to pique Detroit's interest.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The ink hadn't even dried on Kirill Marchenko's new sign-and-trade extension with the Leafs before word emerged that GM John Chayka wasn't done yet with the overhaul of his roster. The blueline is clearly the next target, and if it's another big swing he's looking for, it doesn't get much bigger than this.