Utah is one of the teams with the most interest in Simon Edvinsson, and Detroit just made a deal a lot easier to imagine.
Frank Seravalli said on Oilers Now that the Red Wings are more willing to move Edvinsson for prospects, draft picks or young roster players than they would be in a Dylan Larkin trade.
That's a big shift. With Larkin, Detroit's ask boiled down to getting another Larkin back, while this time the door is open to futures.
Utah has the pieces to walk through it. A club built around young talent can offer prospects and picks without touching its core.
The fit on the ice is obvious. Mikhail Sergachev anchors the back end on an $8,500,000 cap hit, and Edvinsson's 6-foot-6 frame would give him a long-term running mate.
The rest of the group skews older. Mackenzie Weegar is 32 and Nate Schmidt is 35, while Dmitry Simashev, 21, is the youngest on the blue line by far.
Bill Armstrong has the assets and the need to land Edvinsson
For Bill Armstrong, a 23-year-old left-shot defenceman fits a roster built to win for years.
Edvinsson finished +12 in each of the last two seasons. David Pagnotta pegged a maximum seven-year deal between $9 million and $11 million annually.
Utah has firepower up front too. Dylan Guenther opened with three power-play goals in his first three games.
Utah should go hard here. Detroit is finally willing to take futures, and few teams can offer a better long-term landing spot for a young defenceman.
Adding Edvinsson to this group would be like putting a new roof on a house that already has great bones.
Andre Tourigny's group sits at 2-1-0 after a 4-2 loss to the Rangers and visits New Jersey tonight.
Shawn Horcoff has spent the weekend canvassing the market. If Utah is as interested as Seravalli says, Armstrong's call might be the one that matters most.
Should Utah trade top prospects for Simon Edvinsson?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Canucks announce major roster changes as the immediate future takes shape
