When the Detroit Red Wings won the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on the road Monday, it was Edvinsson’s 18th NHL game. It was his first against Victor Hedman. At times, Edvinsson was awestruck by Hedman, a childhood idol and model defenseman from his native Sweden.
“I kind of had to,” Edvinsson said, smiling. “When we were out there, it was game on. But when I sat on the bench, sometimes I saw how he played the puck. Yeah, it was fun to see. …
“To see him so close and to see him work on the blue line, the power play, everything, of course, it helps you in the future. That was big.”
This is a big stretch for Edvinsson.
The Red Wings chose the No.6 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft on March 19. They hoped he could help them make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.
Detroit is in a tight, multiteam race for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference entering their game against Buffalo Sabres at home Sunday (1 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SN1).
But whatever happens in the short term, should pay off in the long term for Edvinsson.
“I feel like I’ve been growing every game,” Edvinsson said. “To go up here this time of the year, of course, it’s pressure. Every point matters. I feel like I’ve been adjusting my game towards that, to the games we’ve been playing, and getting more comfortable the time I’ve been up here.”
Edvinsson spent 2021-22 with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League. Most of his past two seasons were with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.
“To see Hedman’s growth of being so raw as a young player, it’s amazing,” said Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde, an assistant under Lightning coach Jon Cooper from 2018-22. “I wasn’t there when he was young, but to hear Steve and Jon Cooper talk, it’s almost uncanny some of the same concerns that are growth that we’re going through with Simon.”
Edvinsson had 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 52 matches for Grand Rapids last season. He had two goals in nine games for Detroit at the end of the season after the Red Wings were out of the playoff race.
He went back to the Rapids this season. Before his recent call-up, the Swedish man played just two games for the Red Wings; a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on December 23rd and a 6-3 loss at the Minnesota Wild on December 27th recording assists.
But Edvinsson kept playing big minutes in all situations in Grand Rapids and had 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 52 matches.
“I feel like it’s better to be more than ready than to be the reverse,” Edvinsson said. “Could I have been up sooner? Maybe. But I feel like that’s the past, and now I think of what I can do to help this team moving forward.”
When Detroit called up Edvinsson for the second time, it was partly because defenseman Jake Walman suffered a lower-body injury. But the Red Wings were also in a 1-8-0 slump, and Yzerman said, “We expect him to play, and we expect him to contribute.’’
He remained in the lineup after Walman came back from a six-game absence. He has stopped penalties, played hard and been more physical than in the past. Edvinsson averages 19:01 of ice time over the past eight matches, third among Red Wings defensemen in that span. Detroit has gone 3-3-2.
Still, he is a work in progress. He has no points, and the Red Wings have had 43.6 percent of the shot attempts when he has been on the ice at 5-on-5. He has provided teachable moments for associate coach Bob Boughner, who runs the defence.
“You can see he’s given great minutes,” Lalonde said. “He’s been a puck transporter. He’s had great defensive stops. The long stick has kept pucks alive.
“But even the other day (against Tampa Bay), he was starting to get comfortable and was the first man on the forecheck. He got caught into some grey ice where they’re one play away from making a play.
“It’s just part of the growth of a thoroughbred. You want to let them grow a bit, but you should reel them in. The whole game, I’m like, ‘Boogs, reel Simon in.’ And he’s like, ‘I’m on it! I’m on it!’” It’s a process.
“That’s all just part of the growth and learning,” Lalonde said. “This is why you want to put these guys in those big situations. Playing last year at this time is a lot different than playing this year, where every play and every puck matters.”
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