Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson left the Red Wings game against the Philadelphia Flyers after taking a high hit. This hit left Moritz Seider to be paired with Ben Chiarot for nearly 15 minutes for the rest of the game. Seider began the 2024-25 NHL season paired with Chiarot before replacing the veteran defenseman with Edvinsson. The Seider and Chiarot pairing did not have success and the Red Wings needed to find a second defenseman to pair with Seider.
Prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 NHL season, Seider said that he and Edvinsson would be a “pretty cool pair for the Red Wings.” Edvinsson has been paired with Seider as the Red Wings’ top defensive pair. The Red Wings’ downfall continues to be the defensive corps behind Seider and Edvinsson. Jeff Petry and Chiarot are the second pair on the Red Wings blueline. This pair leaves a lot to be desired. Lately, the Red Wings’ play has brought into stark focus just how much Edvinsson means to the team’s defense.
That does not mean the Red Wings’ coaching staff does not recognize Edvinsson’s importance to the team. “He obviously only played a handful of minutes,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. “A lot of our ‘D’ are not accustomed to playing top-four minutes and I thought they gutted it out.” If Edvinsson’s injury lingers, the Red Wings’ season risks falling further into a tailspin. The Red Wings brought up defenseman William Wallinder from the Grand Rapids Griffins prior to their game against the Blues. Wallinder has scored one goal and added seven assists in 19 games played for the Griffins during the 2024-25 AHL season.
This call up came as the Red Wings announced that Edvinsson was placed on injured reserve retroactive to December 18th. This means that he will be eligible to come off injured reserve for Friday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs if he is medically cleared. Both Wallinder and William Lagesson were assigned to Grand Rapids to give these two players more playing time. The Edvinsson move was made to provide the Red Wings lineup with flexibility. Wallinder, 22, has recorded eight points (1-7-8) and two penalty minutes in 19 games with the Griffins to begin the 2024-25 season.
In two games after Edvinsson’s injury, both against the Montreal Canadiens, the Red Wings have been outscored 9-4. The next game against the St. Louis Blues did not get any better as the Blues would win the game 4-0. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin understood the fans at Little Caesars Arena’s reaction to the Red Wings losing to the Blues 4-0. “They’re frustrated, we’re frustrated,” Larkin said via Max Bultman of The Athletic. “They’re rightfully so frustrated. When you play at home, on a big night like tonight with the holiday coming up, it’s usually a great crowd.”
The Red Wings do not play their next game until December 27th because the NHL does not play games on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The Red Wings have a record of 13-17-4 and are in seventh place in the Atlantic Division at the time of the Christmas break. If Edvinsson continues to be out with this upper-body injury ,the Red Wings will need to lean on Seider more than they already have. Seider was quoted recently saying that the team is frustrated, saying, “We can all agree we’re not fulfilling expectations.”
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