Simon Edvinsson is back with the Detroit Red Wings during a key stretch for the playoff hunt. Here’s how he can impact the team.
Simon Edvinsson is back with the Detroit Red Wings during a key stretch for the playoff hunt. Here’s how he can impact the team.
Simon says stop. Simon says go. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson showed he’s ready for the NHL. The Red Wings said it’s showtime.
For some, Edvinsson’s latest call-up Tuesday is the moment they’ve all been waiting for all season — the chance for the offensive dynamo to test his mettle with the big club. For others, it’s a necessary jolt to a defense corps that’s been shaky the past couple weeks. For the Red Wings as a whole, the 6-foot-6 Swedish lefty provides internal depth to help them regain a playoff spot during a monumental slump.
“He’s a very confident kid,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said Tuesday. “I don’t think much fazes him, unfortunately in both ways. He can be a guy standing in their blue paint with odd numbers going the other way too, which is a little in his DNA which is fine. So just play within yourself, play simple. We ask our guys to be simple, predictable on the back end.”
Edvinsson’s game includes the kind of risk inherent in youth that coaches want to whittle away. His brilliance with the puck is the reason Edvinsson was picked sixth overall in 2021, and it’s why he might help the Red Wings out a lot during a span when their attack has been lacking. His risk-taking also creates some headaches if and when he makes an error. Coaches are responsible for making an executable game plan and controlling as many variables as possible. For a creative like Edvinsson, such restrictions mean he had to relearn some of his thinking when the competition is better equipped to shut him down.
Smack dab in the middle of a playoff race, there’s added pressure to get that balance right.
“We have to win, and that is kind of pressure,” Edvinsson said. “But it’s more fun. I’m more happy than I feel pressure so it’s a fun opportunity I feel like.”
There’s reason to believe that Edvinsson’s risk assessment has gotten more controlled after a season in Grand Rapids. He kept his offensive upside — tied for fourth in points on the Griffins’ roster — but he also played strong defensively to earn a plus-minus of five. Plus-minus can be deceiving, but Edvinsson’s rate is a clear improvement from his minus-three last season that came with similar offensive production. He’s cleaned up his game defensively as he and general manager Steve Yzerman have both noted. That bodes well for success in the NHL during this call-up.
The weight of this call-up aside, Edvinsson has been here before. He played nine games near the end of last season and scored two goals, though he finished that span at minus-seven with a 44% Corsi in addition to a handful of defensive turnovers in his own end. It was an imperfect call-up, but that comes with the territory of a rookie. He also showed a mixed performance in a two-game stint back in December of this season.
But this call-up is a little different given how Detroit is chasing a playoff bid. Edvinsson isn’t just a rookie brought in for some experiential learning; instead, he’s an offensive weapon brought in to boost Detroit through a rough patch.
Even if scoring is a reason why he can make an impact, Edvinsson doesn’t just have the green light to go out there and improvise. When Lalonde talks about Edvinsson’s need to play within himself and play simple, he wants Edvinsson to calm his game to prevent some of these defensive errors that surrender chances. Edvinsson’s offensive impact isn’t nearly as attractive if he’s bleeding scoring threats to do so, and the last thing Detroit needs right now is someone to give up more scoring chances.
This time around, Edvinsson’s coaches will probably judge his play more on the defensive play than what he can bring with his offense. He’s coming into the lineup at a vulnerable time when not a lot has gone right for the Red Wings’ defense. It’s giving up high-danger chances and an abundance of shots overall, as well as turning the puck over. This makes for a tough environment for Edvinsson to shine given his defensive mistakes before, but that also gives him an opportunity to really show his growth if he can calm the waters.
“I think he just brings a lot of energy into our locker room, brings a lot of fresh wind into our locker room,” defenseman Moritz Seirder said. “Maybe that’s what we need — a different spark. He’s been playing great in the AHL, and obviously we follow that up. And we’re just happy to have him.”
Seider continued to effuse praise on Edvinsson’s game: “Confidence with the puck, I think he isn’t afraid to put his body on the line. That’s what we need. Has a real solid first pass, he knows how to skate. Feel like he never gets tired, which is huge, and isn’t afraid of big names and that’s what we need here.”
Look at it this way: Edvinsson has a whole lot of potential. Even if he makes defensive errors, the rest of the blue line is making them too. It’s better to have those mistakes come from a rookie who can learn from them and grow, rather than a veteran whose remaining years are a whole lot shorter. At this point, Lalonde noted that his team is looking for “solutions and answers” in general. In other words, Edvinsson can’t do any worse than his teammates have already.
“We would like to look like we did against Buffalo where we just gave them a handful of chances,” Lalonde said, referring to Detroit’s strong defense in its only win of the past nine games. “We were simple, we were predictable. We owned the inside. And we want him to just jump on board with the group also.”
With his dynamic skating and a season spent polishing his defensive play under high minutes, Edvinsson has the tools to play better defense than earlier outings.
It seems like he will get quite the opportunity to make his mark. Lalonde mentioned that with Jake Walman out of the lineup, it’s likely that Ben Chiarot will play with Seider on the first pairing. That probably puts Edvinsson with Jeff Petry on the second pairing, giving Edvinsson a whole lot of valuable minutes. As a veteran blueliner, Petry can also provide a little bit of mentorship to his protege, including communicating defensive responsibilities and other adjustments on the ice. The duo played together in the preseason, and Edvinsson said he thinks they have good chemistry; Petry mentioned their connection, too.
“For me, just making sure that we’re communicating,” Petry said about playing with Edvinsson. “Making sure that we’re talking while we’re on the ice, and when we get back to the bench, just to make sure that we’re on the same page and can find that chemistry quickly.”
Lalonde isn’t sure if such a high-usage spot is beneficial for Edvinsson to succeed. However, it’s still an opportunity for a dynamic player to get into the lineup that’s been in AHL purgatory for the whole year. Despite the pressure inherent in a playoff-race call-up, Edvinsson thinks he has what it takes to make an impact.
“That first nine games was a lot,” Edvinsson said. “It was a lot of thinking … just go out there and play my first couple of nine games. But now it’s a different situation. We’re hunting for a playoff spot and it’s more pressure of course but that’s why you play hockey, right, those moments. And I’m just happy to be here now.”
There’s nothing left for Simon to say. Now, he just has to seize the opportunity.
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