What’s Behind Simon Edvinsson’s Gains in Muscle? Avocados

Simon Edvisson skating for the Detroit Red Wings
Photo via NHL.com

Training camp has begun for the Detroit Red Wings in Traverse City, Michigan, before the 2024-25 NHL season. Defenseman Moritz Seider signed a new, seven-year contract with an average annual value of $8.55 million. This contract was signed just days after the team signed left-winger Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract. These two players will be part of the Red Wings’ corps moving forward.

Both Seider and Raymond’s contracts are excellent pieces of business done by general manager Steve Yzerman. There was speculation before these signings that the Red Wings wanted to keep the AAV of Seider and Raymond’s deals below that of captain Dylan Larkins. As the NHL’s salary cap is expected to increase, these two contracts will represent less of a share of said salary cap. The salary cap for the 2024-25 NHL season is $88 million and is projected to rise to $92 million for the 2025-26 season.

The Red Wings’ defense behind Seider leaves a lot to be desired. Seider started the 2023-24 Red Wings season with veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot. This was quickly changed to Seider being paired with Jake Walman, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations. In 63 games played for the Red Wings during the 2023-24 season, Walman scored 12 goals and added nine assists.

Defensive prospect Simon Edvinsson will get his first chance to prove that he can play at the NHL level, as he has only played in 25 games for the Red Wings in his young career. According to The Hockey News, “A player is considered a prospect if he has played less than 25 games in one NHL campaign (regular season and playoffs combined), less than 50 NHL games total in their career, and is 25 years old by Sept 15.”

Edvinsson was drafted by the Red Wings with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft out of Kungsbacka, Sweden. During his draft year, Edvinsson scored two goals and added 17 assists in 44 games played for Frölunda HC of the SHL. In his first season in the AHL for the Griffins Edvinsson scored five goals and added 22 assists in 52 games played. At 6’1” tall, Edvinsson is a smooth skater who can handle the puck.

Seider has lobbied to be paired with Edvinsson on the Red Wings blueline in the past. “I think that could be a pretty cool D pair for Red Wings’ fans,” Seider said. Both defensemen are over six feet tall, which is not a rarity in today’s NHL. Given that Seider struggled when paired with Chiarot at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, this pair is unlikely to return this season, but it is still a possibility.

Chiarot was not the only veteran on the Red Wings’ blueline during the 2023-24 season. Jeff Petry, son of former Detroit Tigers pitcher Dan Petry, played in 73 games last season. In those 73 games, Petry had three goals and added 21 assists. Beyond these statistics, Petry has provided the young Red Wings with valuable experience. Pairing Edvinsson with a veteran such as Petry can only benefit the Red Wings in the long run.

Edvinsson added muscle to his 6’6” frame during the offseason. This is something that any young hockey player would do to withstand an 82 game NHL season. The most games Edvinsson has played in his professional career is 54 with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2023-24. When asked how he was able to do this, “It was just a lot of avocados,” Edvinsson said. “So, a little bit heavier, and I feel good about that.”

Yzerman is not willing to give Edvinsson a spot on the roster. Not every new NHL defenseman is going to have the rookie season that Seider did in 2021-22 when he won the Calder Trophy. Seider has not missed one game in his three-year NHL career. “He’s not going to be handed anything, and Simon needs to know he’s going to have to work for it and earn it every shift,” Yzerman said. “He has the ability to do it, and it’s up to him to do it.”

Head coach of the Red Wings, Derek Lalonde, seemed to echo these sentiments. Lalonde needs to strike a balance between getting Edvinsson playing time to grow as a player and getting the Red Wings to the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. In two seasons as the head coach of the Red Wings, Lalonde has a record of seven games over .500. The Ilitch family must feel like they want to host playoff games at Little Caesars Arena, which opened in 2017.

“With his overall play from Grand Rapids last year to what he gave us down the stretch, where he slotted with our push at the end last year, we foresee him in a similar role,” Lalonde said about Edvinsson. “I foresee him in a top-four [role], and we’ll kind of let it play out from there. Hopefully, he can even eat minutes if he’s got it going one night, it might be a little fluid with our top-four even. If he earns more minutes, he’ll get more minutes.”

Edvinsson will have every opportunity to play for the Red Wings during the 2024-25 NHL season. Despite him being only 21 years old, the Kungsbacka, Sweden native can use his large frame to improve the team’s defensive abilities. That Edvinsson added muscle to his frame during this offseason will help him withstand what will be his first season in the NHL.

ITR 32: The Final Countdown Inside The Rink

Join Chris and Conrad as they discuss everything in the world of hockey, including the Washington Capitals making two significant contract signings and the NHL Salary Cap to keep rising. John Tortorella is out of Philly, Eastern & Western Conference Roundups & More.
  1. ITR 32: The Final Countdown
  2. ITR 31: Let Them Fight
  3. ITR 30: Down The Stretch
  4. ITR 29: Trade Deadline Review
  5. ITR 28: Deadline Week

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Adam Proteau

Catching up With Adam Proteau of The Hockey News

With the trade deadline behind us and teams pushing toward the Stanley Cup playoffs, I figured now was as good a time as ever to conduct an email interview with the great Adam Proteau of The Hockey News. Adam was kind enough to take time out of his busy writing schedule to give us his […]

Read More
Todd McLellan behind the bench

March Contiues to Be a Month That Sinks the Detroit Red Wings Playoff Hopes

March has been the part of the NHL schedule that has caused the Detroit Red Wings the most trouble in the past three seasons. In two of these three seasons, the Red Wings were led by former head coach Derek Lalonde. The Red Wings had a record of 3-11 in March of 2024 under Lalonde. […]

Read More
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes celebrates a first-period goal against the Minnesota Wild.

New Jersey Devils Take Down Wild in a Shootout to Sweep the Season Series

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night at the Prudential Center, sweeping the home-and-home season series between the two. Looking to end a three-game winless streak at home, the Devils put together another 60-plus minute effort that earned them a resilient and well-deserved win over a team […]

Read More