Report: Red Wings' Simon Edvinsson To Pull Bold, Significant Move If No Deal By Dec. 1

The Detroit Red Wings' standoff with Simon Edvinsson is very quickly reaching a crucial deadline. If the restricted free agent doesn't sign an NHL contract by December 1st, he will be ineligible to play for the entire 2026-27 season. The Wings want to keep him; Edvinsson wants to be traded and is refusing to sign with them. 

From a new report from insider Elliotte Friedman, it sounds like the big defenseman isn't bluffing. He told the crew on NHL Network Friday night that if the big blueliner doesn't get a trade by the Dec. 1 deadline, Edvinsson is prepared to take his talents back to his homeland. 

There's a little bit of, who's got the stronger nerves? Who bends first? One of the things that some reporters who live in Sweden have told me is that if it goes past December 1st, he's prepared to play there. That's how strong his resolve is. 

The 6'6" D-man played his age-18 season with Frolunda HC in his native Sweden in the SHL after being selected by the Red Wings with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He came over to North America the next season, though he spent most of it with the Wings' Grand Rapids affiliate in the AHL. 

Since then, Edvinsson has risen to become a top-pairing staple on the Red Wings' blueline, using his towering stature and smooth-skating two-way skills to establish himself as a legit star in the NHL. He's thought to be looking for a long-term contract in the $10-$11M AAV range. 

It's a matter of 'who blinks first' in Red Wings/Edvinsson power play

"I'll say this though," Friedman added, "I did have some teams say to me they really like the player a lot. But when you look at the acquisition cost and what you're going to have to pay him, it's really, really steep what Detroit is trying to do here.

"I just think it's poker, and everybody's at the table waiting to see who blinks first."

Indeed, if there is no NHL team that meets the exorbitant price that the Wings are rightfully asking for to replace such a unique, sizeable, talented defenseman by December 1st, we'll see whose bluff gets called.