The hockey world was stunned with the mammoth offer sheet that was made public over the weekend from the Philadelphia Flyers, who targeted Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson.
Advertisement
The offer sheet, which Carlsson signed, is for five years and a whopping $90 million, carrying a salary cap hit of $18 million. It would make Carlsson the highest paid player in NHL history per season if the Ducks don’t match it.
Speaking of offer sheets, could the Detroit Red Wings be victimized by one?
Defenseman Simon Edvinsson was tendered a qualifying offer by the Red Wings, meaning they retain his RFA rights, but that he’s still eligible to be extended an offer sheet from an opposition NHL club.
During his recent “32 Thoughts” podcast, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman openly wondered if the Carolina Hurricanes, who are the current defending Stanley Cup champions, could make such a move – especially if they were to lose RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin.
Advertisement
“I’ll tell you, the other player that I heard in conjunction with them was Simon Edvinsson from the Red Wings,” Friedman said. “He’s a really good player, and – if they lose Nikishin, they’re gonna need a defenseman, right? And I think Edvinsson would be excellent for their system.
So, I’ve kind of wondered if they’re eying him up and down, too.”
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Image
Friedman continued:
“Carolina has earned that, sort of – you’d better think of creative things they can do, and they’re not afraid to try them,” he said.
Advertisement
Selected by the Red Wings with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Edvinsson has quickly developed into one of Detroit’s most valuable blueliners, trailing only Moritz Seider in terms of overall importance on the back end.
During the season, he skated in 72 games and established a new career high with nine goals while contributing 16 assists for 25 points.
After re-aggravating a lingering injury in a game late in January, Edvinsson underwent surgery but successfully worked his way back into the lineup before the end of February.
Edvinsson has appeared in 175 career NHL games, and has scored 19 goals with 41 assists. He’s averaged 21:09 of ice time per game, and is a plus-17.
Advertisement
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
Image
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
