NHL Rumor Roundup: Red Wings Now Have Two Key Players Who Prefer To Be Traded

It was bad enough for the Detroit Red Wings when center Dylan Larkin’s trade request dominated off-season headlines.

Now, another key player could be eyeballing the exits.

On Saturday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the word around the league is that unsigned defenseman Simon Edvinsson would prefer a trade.

According to Friedman, neither Red Wings management nor Edvinsson's representatives would confirm that Edvinsson wants out. He said the Red Wings told other clubs that their priority is re-signing the 22-year-old restricted free agent.

Nevertheless, Edvinsson's frustration has reached the point where he's open to moving on.

Negotiations between Edvinsson and the Red Wings stalled after Steve Yzerman was removed as general manager in mid-July. The young blueliner remained patient and loyal, waiting for the club to find a new GM while spurning offer sheets from several clubs.

Talks were expected to accelerate once assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff was named interim GM. Edvinsson reported to training camp even though he wasn't allowed to scrimmage with his teammates or participate in pre-season games.

However, Edvinsson returned to Sweden last week as those discussions failed to produce an agreement. And now, his patience seems to have reached the breaking point.

Edvinsson's departure for Sweden prompted SI.com's Tyler Miller to suggest the Pittsburgh Penguins as a possible trade destination. Friedman's report had The Hockey News' Eric Cruikshank list the San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, and Toronto Maple Leafs as potential trade partners.

The Red Wings still could get Edvinsson signed. Nevertheless, their bungled handling of these negotiations puts those efforts at risk and could still cost them their second-best defenseman.

As for Larkin, the Red Wings have had difficulty finding suitors because of his narrow list of trade destinations, forcing him to reportedly expand his list to eight teams last week.

The Florida Panthers were among the three teams on Larkin’s original list. With Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov on LTIR after injuring his left leg last week against the Sharks, some pundits wondered if the Panthers would make a pitch for Larkin.

On Friday, Elliotte Friedman told NHL Network that the Panthers have limited trade capital. He wondered if the Wings would be interested in forward Eetu Luostarinen as part of a package offer.

Assuming the Panthers find a creative way to take on Larkin's contract, it'll take more than Luostarinen to entice the Red Wings. Their asking price will likely be center Anton Lundell, whom the Panthers refused to part with while negotiating their acquisition of Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators in June.

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