For Simon Edvinsson it's no longer about making the NHL, it's about owning a larger role

On the Detroit Red Wings top defensive prospect and how Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, and avocado toast could help him reach that goal.

For Simon Edvinsson the focus has shifted from trying to make the team to trying to an earn a role with the Detroit Red Wings.

And that’s an important distinction.

The past two seasons Edvinsson has made NHL cameos (nine games in 2022-23, 16 in 2023-24), but ultimately finished the season in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

During those stints Edvinsson was arguably one of the Red Wings better defenders, he looked like an NHLer, but until you officially “earn” NHL status, you rarely get a chance to keep a role at the top level.

“First you have to make a name, you have to prove that, and then you can try to get a role,” Edvinsson said.

Edvinsson said it’s a shift in mentality. In the past he had to treat every shift like he was trying to prove he belonged on the NHL roster, it’s not a very calming feeling and any mistake felt amplified. Now he said gets to attack each practice with confidence that he’s got a job, and just can prove his game will lead to larger roles and opportunities.

He can make the game easier, he can be calm off the ice, ideally matching his demeanor on it.

“I feel like in general my game is just smooth now,” Edvinsson said. “Calm with the puck, my breakout passes. I think that’s my strength, is that my skating and my breakout passes. That’s also become my best addition, I can be smooth now from the defensive to the offensive zone.”

From a Red Wings perspective, it’s easy to look at Edvinsson and hope he’s a potential future Victor Hedman.

Like the newly-minted Tampa Bay Lightning captain, Edvinsson is a 6-foot-6 behemoth that skates well and controls the game. Both happen to wear No. 77, and Edvinsson put on about 15 pounds of weight this summer — a mix of training and eating avocado toast everyday, he says — so he more closely fits Hedman’s profile physically.

Hedman could also be a bit of a blue print when it comes to career arc.

Hedman’s first four NHL seasons were about figuring out the defensive side of the game, becoming more well-rounded, before he became an offensive force in his fifth NHL season, eventually becoming a fixture on a dynamic Tampa Bay power play.

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde is a former Tampa Bay assistant, he spent time around Hedman. He’s seen the comparisons between Edvinsson and Hedman, he also understands what the Red Wings defender will have to do to deliver on them.

“Not wasting shots, his shot has improved greatly, I think that’s very important for him offensively,” Lalonde said. “I still think it’s a simple offense game. Very comfortable with him on the rush, because he can skate and he’s got some instincts … but being simple and creating on the offensive blue line, it’s so hard to create offense in today’s game five-on-five, I think a little bit has to be done in the half-court game, if you will.”

In the long-term Lalonde sees Edvinsson as a power play fixture, but that’s not going to be rushed this season. Moritz Seider and Erik Gustafsson are effectively locked into those spots this season. There are those in the organization who see Gustafsson as a stop-gap before Edvinsson eventually takes his spot running the top of a power play.

Edvinsson himself is very calm and composed talking about all of this, he’s also done some work in the offseason to add offensive elements on his own after working out closely with new Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin.

Dahlin isn’t small, but he is shrimpish at 6-foot-3 compared to the 6-foot-6 Edvinsson. One of the things about Dahlin’s game, that stand out to Edvinsson, is how well he combines small player skills with a slightly bigger body.

“Yeah, there are small things (Dahlin) does that I think I can translate and add to my game,” Edvinsson said. “We talked about that, he was good about that, and it’s part of a long-term thing for me. How do I learn and add that to my role?”

Again, that’s what it’s all about for Edvinsson. It’s no longer about being a Red Wing, it’s about carving out a role that sets him up for a better short and long-term future.

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