Simon Edvinsson still hasn't dressed for the Red Wings this season, and Darren Dreger says Detroit may have to cut bait.
The timing stings. Detroit heads into tonight's game in Edmonton at 4-4-3, sitting last in its division after a 4-1 loss in Calgary on Saturday.
Speaking on Struddy's World, Dreger said that if Detroit can't reach a compromise with the defenseman, “they're just gonna have to cut bait.”
He added that he doesn't think the Red Wings want to go there, pointing to the message it would send to fans in the middle of a rebuild.
And can anyone blame the fanbase for bristling? The 23-year-old went plus-12 in each of his last two seasons on the Detroit blue line.
He put up 25 points in 72 games last season, after a 31-point campaign the year before. At 6-foot-6 and 222 pounds, that profile doesn't grow on trees.
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Shawn Horcoff inherits a contract fight he can't afford to lose
This lands squarely on Shawn Horcoff's desk. Steve Yzerman is no longer the GM, and Horcoff has been running the front office on an interim basis since September 15.
Talk about a first assignment. His biggest early call could be deciding whether the sixth overall pick from 2021 is part of the plan or a trade chip.
The money explains the gap. Edvinsson's last deal carried a $894,167 cap hit through 2025-26, which left him a restricted free agent.
Meanwhile, the blue line without him looks thin in spots. Ben Chiarot, 35, has one point this season, and Justin Faulk is 34.
Moritz Seider is still looking for his first goal. Axel Sandin Pellikka has one point through seven games as Todd McLellan leans on youth in the back end.
The goaltending isn't bailing anybody out either. John Gibson owns a .867 save percentage, which puts extra weight on every defensive read in front of him.
Detroit has allowed 34 goals while scoring 29. You don't climb out of that hole by shipping out a young defenseman who's already shown he can handle NHL minutes.
Trading Edvinsson now would be a bad idea, plain and simple, because every rival GM knows Detroit would be negotiating from a weak spot.
It's like listing your house the same week the roof starts leaking. Buyers smell the urgency. The offers come in low.
Tonight brings an Oilers team sitting at 8-2-1, coming off a 7-2 beating from Toronto and likely in no mood to be generous.
The Red Wings can finish this road trip without their young defenseman. How long Horcoff lets this drag before the phone starts ringing is the question nobody in Detroit can answer yet.
Should the Red Wings trade Simon Edvinsson if he won't meet them at a compromise?
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