Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson is all of 23 and-a-half years old, and when he spoke with the media today, his answer as to how Dylan Larkin’s situation happens to be affecting the team was that of a young, optimistic man. I hope that what Edvinsson told the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker is true:
Meanwhile, Edvinsson said he doesn’t believe Dylan Larkin’s trade request will be a distraction for the team. Larkin remains with the Red Wings but is currently inactive after suffering an off-ice injury.
In fact, Edvinsson believes the situation could ultimately bring the group closer together.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a distraction,” Edvinsson said. “Everybody’s here to play hockey and do their own business; everyone has themselves to worry about. I know one thing is that when we play our first game, and hopefully Dylan’s ready to go by then, I know he’ll work as hard as everyone else on the ice.
And I think it’s going to make the team closer, somehow, because we’re going to see how hard Dylan will work, and he’ll see how hard we work for him, and it’ll bring the team together. I’m not worried.”
Continued; I get that this team runs on an “us against the world” mentality, and I certainly hope that there’s a Big Red Machine that manages to hum along without a discordant note, but I’ve seen this kind of situation “go wrong” many ways as well.
The Wings will have to balance the knife’s edge of building a newer leadership group with supporting their disgruntled former captain, both on and off the ice, until he’s not here any more.