The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote a lengthy article discussing Simon Edvinsson’s incredibly important status as one of the Red Wings‘ top defensemen:
It’s easy to forget that just one year ago, he was still just waiting for his chance — marinating with Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids while so many were itching to see him at the next level. That wait had to be hard for Edvinsson, as it took until late March for him to get a full-time shot with the big club. But looking back now, Edvinsson can see all the ways that time with the Griffins helped him get to where he is today.
“It was huge for me,” Edvinsson said Wednesday morning. “It helped me so much. It was great to be down there, play for Grand Rapids and the fans. I just enjoyed it, and I just learned so much from there. It was huge for me to get those reps in down there, and then come up here and feel confident enough to do it up here as well.”
Now, Edvinsson looks like a foundational piece of the Red Wings’ core going forward. Of course, that was always the hope. At 6 feet, 6 inches with graceful skating, soft hands and a bit more edge than expected, his profile is straight out of central casting for a modern-day shutdown defenseman.
His skating and long reach make him an asset not just in defending against the rush but also in being able to skate the puck up ice himself — becoming a sort of one-man breakout when needed. Both aspects are big parts of why, despite his difficult workload, he is the only Red Wings defenseman with a five-on-five on-ice expected goals share north of 50 percent.
“Obviously him and (Seider)’s numbers of getting pucks out, getting pucks out clean, (have) been really high,” Lalonde said. “And it’s been a huge positive, and part of who he is.”
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