Prospect Roundup: Simon Edvinsson Developing through Bigger Role in Grand Rapids
Simon Edvinsson has stayed in Grand Rapids most of this season, developing his game through a bigger role than he could have earned in Detroit
Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports - Prospect Roundup: Simon Edvinsson Developing through Bigger Role in Grand RapidsIt’s hard to watch the Red Wings’ blue line without wondering how Simon Edvinsson might improve it.
In a six-game losing streak, Detroit’s defense has been outraced, outmuscled and outworked. With those struggles readily apparent, the appeal of an apparently NHL-ready draft pick waiting in the wings is alluring.
But at this point in the season, don’t expect an Edvinsson call-up. First of all, he’s banged up after blocking a shot — and trying to battle through the pain — in Saturday’s loss to Milwaukee. Even when he’s healthy again, though, calling up Edvinsson would require the Red Wings to send one of its defensemen to waivers in order to open up a roster spot. While such a demotion might feel warranted to fans given how poorly some defensemen have played as of late, it’s not a decision that general manager Steve Yzerman is likely to make.
Most of all, though, Edvinsson is in the AHL for a reason, and it all comes down to minutes.
Back in October, Yzerman sent down Edvinsson and forward Jonatan Berggren to Grand Rapids with a message: they might have challenged for an NHL job, but he wanted them to play larger roles for the Griffins rather than smaller ones for the big club. At this point in their development, he and the front office felt that getting Edvinsson and Berggren more minutes could impact their development.
“We discussed it with them, and things we want them to improve upon and get more ice time down there to improve in those areas,” Yzerman said Friday in a post-trade deadline press conference. “And both of them, for that matter, have been excellent. Their attitude, their work ethic and their performance on the ice — they've continued to get better and better. And part of that is they're will and desire to improve in their willingness to kind of buy in, so to speak, (to) what we’re trying to do and the reasons we have them in the American Hockey League as opposed to being in the NHL.”
Whether or not some of that praise consists of platitudes you usually hear about prospects, Yzerman is right. Edvinsson is the Griffins’ No. 1 defenseman by a mile, and he’s been a key cog in their success this season. He’s their highest scoring defenseman — third on the Grand Rapids team — and owns the second-highest plus-minus among blue liners. But more than counting stats, the way Edvinsson has played has impressed Yzerman.
Particularly, Yzerman wanted Edvinsson to get time running a power play, something he wouldn’t be able to do in Detroit with Moritz Seider and Shayne Gostisbehere ahead of him. Playing more minutes in Grand Rapids has also allowed Edvinsson to polish his game through higher reps.
“He’s really an excellent defender,” Yzerman said. “He’s gotten more confidence, his closing of plays, his play in front of his own net, reading the play and when to box out and when to front and reading the play in front of him but knowing where everybody is behind him. … Probably our biggest thought was we want him to play a lot of minutes and touching the puck and playing on the powerplay. But as I watch, I think that's probably the most important thing for defenders to be able to play defense — he’s really improved in that area.”
While Edvinsson has largely done what Yzerman asked of him down in the AHL, that doesn’t mean he’s automatically earned a roster spot based on checking those boxes. There are still defensemen ahead of him on the depth chart, and that’s not changing until the offseason.
It seems as though next year will be Edvinsson’s year to earn a full-time role for Detroit. Gostisbehere’s contract expires this offseason, and the Red Wings will have to be smart about their cap space in an offseason when they re-sign Seider and forward Lucas Raymond. Edvinsson can absorb all of Gostisbehere’s role and more considering he’s spent this entire season earning power play experience, and that comes at the cheap cost of an entry-level deal.
Such a delay in Edvinsson’s NHL role might not seem optimal, especially for fans that want him to improve a shaky Red Wings blue line right away. Compared to Seider, who joined the Red Wings in his second year in North America, Edvinsson’s progression seems slow. However, such an immediate role like Seider’s is remarkable for a reason: it’s rare.
Overall, Edvinsson’s development path is taking more time because Detroit is in no rush to bring him in. With the opportunity to be patient, the Red Wings want to do what’s best for his whole career, not just their team this season.
“Sending them to play in G.R. this year wasn’t necessarily about this year,” Yzerman said of Edvinsson and Berggren. “It’s about the next 15 to 18 years. They’re going to be really good players, and I like to think they’re better players today. And I know they’re playing a bigger role than they would have here in Detroit for the Red Wings.”
It’s more than fair to question Yzerman’s patience integrating Edvinsson into the lineup. Seeing Detroit’s defensemen make ample mistakes as of late begs the question of whether there’d be more upside to allowing a rookie to make the same ones and learn from them. But based on the construction of the roster currently — and with the Red Wings still in the playoff hunt — such a change doesn’t appear to be on the docket.
Around the Prospect Pool
Dmitri Buchelnikov
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Axel Sandin Pellikka
At one point, it seemed as though Axel Sandin Pellikka might shatter some records for goals and points scored by a U19 SHL defenseman. However, he finished the regular season Tuesday just shy of the records. His 10 goals in the regular season are one shy of the record, while his 19 points finish two shy of Victor Hedman’s record from 2008. Sandin Pellikka and his third-seed Skellefteå AIK team will face six-seed Linköping HC in the SHL quarterfinals starting Mar. 22.
Theodor Niederbach
While Sandin Pellikka is playing postseason hockey, 2020 second-rounder Theodor Niederbach’s season with SHL MoDo is over. Now, it’s up to Niederbach to make a big decision about his future. His reserve rights expire Jun. 1, meaning the Red Wings have to decide soon whether they want to sign him to a contract or not. This season, he finished with 13 points in 47 games and a minus-15 rating in his fourth season at the SHL level.
Chase Bradley
In what’s becoming a theme of this Prospect Roundup, Chase Bradley and Connecticut are fighting for their postseason lives Wednesday night in the NCAA’s Hockey East conference tournament. With a career year of 22 points in 29 games played, Bradley is a key cog in the Huskies’ attack. Connecticut hosts Vermont for the right to play No. 1 Boston College on Saturday.
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