Red Wings Missed Their Chance to Sign Simon Edvinsson to a Team-Friendly Deal – The Hockey Writers – Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings may have missed their best opportunity to secure one of the most important pieces of their future on a team-friendly contract.

Simon Edvinsson entered the offseason as one of Detroit’s most important restricted free agents. The 23-year-old defenseman is coming off his entry-level contract and has already established himself as a foundational piece of the Red Wings’ blue line.

My initial projection for Edvinsson was an eight-year contract worth $8.5 million annually. At the time, that was fair market value and just below Moritz Seider’s $8.55 million AAV. But now, they’d be lucky to re-sign Edvinsson at that rate.

Red Wings Lost Valuable Time As Market Changed

The NHL’s contract market has shifted dramatically during the 2026 offseason. Teams are paying young stars enormous salaries – even more so than before.

Chicago’s Bowen Byram topped the market with a six-year, $12.5 million AAV deal. Contracts signed by Pavel Mintyukov (five years, $7.4 million AAV) and Simon Nemec (five years, $7.25 million AAV) were also noteworthy.

For Mintyukov, Nemec, and others, five-year contracts are becoming an increasingly attractive option because they allow them to reach unrestricted free agency while they are still in their prime. Rather than giving up their entire 20s to one contract, players can maximize their earning potential by taking a shorter deal and negotiating another massive contract when the salary cap is considerably higher.

That creates a difficult decision for teams. They can pay a premium for long-term security now—provided the player is open to a max-term deal—or they can save money in the short term and potentially face a much more expensive negotiation later.

For Detroit, an eight-year contract would have bought the Red Wings cost certainty through Edvinsson’s prime years while potentially becoming increasingly valuable as the salary cap rises. But instead, Detroit has allowed the market to move.

And there is another complication: time is running out on the ability to offer Edvinsson an eight-year deal. Under the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement, the maximum contract length is being reduced – Sept. 15 is effectively the final day for teams to secure an eight-year agreement before the seven-year maximum takes effect.

That makes the next month particularly important for the Red Wings. Unfortunately, though, Detroit doesn’t currently have a general manager.

Until the organization hires someone to fill that position, it can’t realistically expect to complete one of its most important contract negotiations of the offseason. And there is no guarantee the GM search will be completed quickly enough to give the new executive much time to negotiate with Edvinsson before the eight-year window closes.

If Edvinsson’s camp prefers a five-year contract, Detroit could still get him signed. But the shorter the contract, the greater the risk that the Red Wings will have to negotiate with him again while he is approaching unrestricted free agency.

Lastly, the price has almost certainly increased. My original projection of eight years with an $8.5 million AAV was based on the market as it existed before this offseason’s wave of aggressive contracts. After seeing what other young players have commanded, Edvinsson’s camp has more leverage than it did several months ago.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Edvinsson will command $10 million or more. But it does mean Detroit’s previous opportunity to establish a lower long-term number has probably passed.

Final Word

By this point, we know that Steve Yzerman tended to grind out contract negotiations to get the best value for the organization. That was likely the case with Edvinsson and it will ultimately cost the franchise more in the long run.

Detroit’s next GM cannot afford to be patient. Their first order of business will be to get Edvinsson signed, and the eight-year option may not be available depending on when they start the job.

At this point, the $8.5 million AAV still looks right, but with a five-year term attached to it. A longer-term contract will likely come with a higher AAV. 

Data courtesy of PuckPedia and Natural Stat Trick.