The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler posted a list of potential Calder Trophy candidates as the NHL’s best rookie for the 2022-2023 season, and the most honest comment I can issue about his Red Wings pick is that Simon Edvinsson’s in the mix at all.
With Edvinsson’s participation on the Red Wings’ NHL roster in question due to the Wings’ defensive depth, it’s just good to read somebody compliment the promising young defenseman.
That doesn’t mean that Edvinsson isn’t highly-regarded; it means that it’s entirely possible, if not probable, that Edvinsson begins the season in the AHL:
17. Simon Edvinsson, LHD, 19 (Detroit Red Wings — No. 6, 2021)
Edvinsson is an excellent prospect and he’s going to be a huge piece of the Red Wings’ future. But as is the case with [Juraj] Slafkovsky, his eligibility for the AHL could play against him. He also didn’t sell the hockey world on his immediate readiness to take a job on Detroit’s improved blue line with his play at the world juniors (though his illness there was also obviously a factor). I think he’s absolutely capable of playing in the NHL for the full season, and he may well play his way into doing just that. I won’t be surprised if he progresses from third-pairing usage to second-pairing usage as the season progresses if he makes the team out of camp, either. But the Red Wings, and Steve Yzerman, are all about the long game with their prospects and that will make Grand Rapids a big part of the conversation.
Continued (paywall)
