Sports Illustrated’s Jason Fink discusses Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson’s unfulfilled potential as a legitimate top-pair defender on Detroit’s blueline:
Last season, Edvinsson played in 72 games while scoring nine goals and totaling 25 points. He tied his career high plus/minus from the year before by finishing plus 12. According to hockeyreference, Edvinsson averaged a little over 22 minutes a game in ice time while delivering 94 hits and blocking 148 shots, both improved totals from 2024-25. He had 89 giveaways, which were two less than the previous season.
Edvinsson has all the tools to be a dominant defenseman but the questions are bountiful in order for him to take his game to the next level. Can he consistently handle the opponents’ top forwards? Can the Red Wings trust him for 22-24 minutes on difficult nights? Can he continue to cut down on the turnovers and keep improving on the positioning mistakes that can plague an aggressive young defenseman?
While the Red Wings drafted Edvinsson for his defensive ability, there is potential offense in his repertoire that remains untapped. They don’t need him to be a 60-point defenseman, but he can certainly contribute more on the power play than the one assist he had in 2025-26. With better puck movement, joining the rush and creating more offense five-on-five, Edvinsson could make a huge difference.
The Red Wings are trying to break their ten-year playoff drought and in order to do that, they need players like Edvinsson to make tremendous strides. If he can reach the potential the Wings have mapped out for him, he could be a part of a two-headed monster along with fellow defenseman Moritz Seider. Edvinsson is one of the players whose internal improvement could be just as important as an outside acquisition.
Continued; at 23 and-a-half years of age, I’m just not worried about Edvinsson filling the skates of a top-pair defender. He’s still got to work on his discipline and poise in the defensive zone, but his skill set is still elite, and we watched moments last season in which he was absolutely dominant.
Edvinsson just needs to harness some better consistency in order to truly tap into his tremendous potential.
