Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis posted his top 20 candidates (it’s actually 21) to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie player this morning, and Ellis included one Simon Edvinsson in his list, at #12:
12. Simon Edvinsson, D (Detroit Red Wings): After an excellent season in the SHL, the team could have rushed Edvinsson to the NHL for 2022-23. But they didn’t. They let him simmer with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, where he was one of the best players on a weak team. He had some solid moments down the stretch with the Red Wings, showing he was ready for a much bigger workload in 2023-24. Along with Seider, Edvinsson looks to be a huge piece of Detroit’s future. And that’s also literal, given he’s 6-foot-6.
Continued; Edvinsson does skate like the wind for a 6’6″ player, but we’ll have to see whether his defensive acumen has improved over the course of training camp and the exhibition season.
Injuries or the lack thereof will play into his potential 2023-2024 playing time as well. The Wings aren’t going to keep him around as a #7 defenseman.
