Unsigned Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson and his agent, J.P. Barry, met in person with interim general manager Shawn Horcoff over the weekend, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on the network’s Insider Trading segment Tuesday. The report is unconfirmed: the Red Wings have not announced or commented on any meeting, and no new contract has been announced.
LeBrun described the session as the two sides laying their cards on the table. It did not produce a resolution, he said, but he called that kind of face-to-face talk important when a standoff drags on.
On the question of a trade, LeBrun said he believes Edvinsson probably sees one as his best path, but he stopped short of calling it a formal request. That matches the earlier reporting Mitten Hockey has followed: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Oct. 7 that Edvinsson would prefer a trade, and TSN reported that at least 10 teams had checked in on him.
Horcoff has said the opposite publicly. On Oct. 14 he told reporters the Red Wings have no interest in trading Edvinsson, calling him a player the organization drafted and developed and wants to sign.
Where things stand
Edvinsson, a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract, reported to training camp without a deal and skated with teammates before returning to Sweden. He has since come back to North America to train. The Red Wings placed him on the injured non-roster list on Oct. 14 because of the contract dispute. If he does not sign by Dec. 1, he cannot play in the NHL this season.
The 6-foot-6 Swede was Detroit’s sixth overall pick in 2021 and had developed into the team’s second-most important defenseman behind Moritz Seider. The Red Wings opened their four-game Western road trip without him Tuesday in Seattle.
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