Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson took part in today’s training camp activities…for the most part. H
e did not scrimmage for his own protection as he remains a restricted free agent, but NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika noted Edvinsson’s presence…and the lack thereof:
The 23-year-old defenseman did not participate in a full-contact scrimmage and declined to speak to the media, saying he wanted to wait until his contract was signed.
“There are some business things that have to be taken care of, and they will get taken care of,” coach Todd McLellan said. “But I give Simon a lot of credit. It would have been easy for him to say, ‘I’m staying at home in Sweden. I don’t want to be around my teammates.’ He recognized the situation we were all in. He showed up, and he was ready to perform. His team and the team of managers that we have right now are working diligently to get something done, and we can’t wait to have this guy back on the ice, because he means a lot to our group.”
Shawn Horcoff, who was named interim general manager Tuesday, said Wednesday that signing Edvinsson is a priority.
“Simon is a fantastic player and a bright spot in our organization,” Horcoff said, “so we’re going to get to work on that contract as soon as we can and hopefully have something done here shortly.”
Continued; Cotsonika also wrote an article about Dylan Larkin’s situation, and you may take this for what you will:
The Red Wings open the season against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 2 (6:30 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, HBO MAX). If Larkin is in the lineup, how will the fans react?
“I can’t really control that,” Larkin said. “Obviously, they’re passionate fans. There’s frustration there. I’m frustrated as well, and I just hope that there’s 22 other guys in the room. It’s about them, not about one guy, so we’re going to hopefully move on.”
Larkin added: “I just want to play. I’m a hockey player, and there’s a lot of people in there that I care deeply about — players, staff. Just being around them, it’s home, you know? One day at a time, one game at a time. Like the rest of the team, I’m excited to be a part of this team and back at the bottom of the totem pole, which is maybe kind of nice.”
How do the Red Wings keep this from becoming a distraction?
“I don’t have the answer to that question,” coach Todd McLellan said. “I can sit up here and lie and try and beat around the bush. I have no idea what’s in front of us. But I do know what we have in the locker room, and I do know he’s got his teammates’ support.
“He’s done what he needs to do with his teammates, and he wants to earn their trust. He’s sat with me, and he wants to do the same with the coaching staff. And then there’s 19,000 people that’ll sit in the rink each day. He’s got to continue to do that, and he’s determined to do it.
“Not going to be easy, I’m sure. But he’s here, and he’s a hell of a player, and we’ll help him through it.”
