Hurricanes Rumored to Have Interest in Red Wings’ Edvinsson

While the Carolina Hurricanes have had a mostly quiet 2026 offseason, they have been linked to rumors over the last few weeks. Between trying to sign John Carlson and figuring out their future with Alexander Nikishin, it’s been a lot of speculation for the defending Stanley Cup champions. On the recent 32 Thoughts the Podcast, Sportsnet’s insider Elliotte Friedman put out another rumor that has everyone talking.

Crunching the Numbers for Simon Edvinsson

Friedman, when discussing the Hurricanes, said that they were looking to be creative with offer sheets. One player they brought up was Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks, in that a team that matches an offer sheet cannot trade them for a year. However, there is no rule of the team who got the player in an offer sheet to not be allowed to trade them.

During that same discussion, Friedman mentioned the Hurricanes might have shown interest in Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson. Edvinsson is currently a restricted free agent (RFA) who just finished his entry-level contract (ELC). His current qualifying offer is $874,125 with the Red Wings after being paid $894,167 annually during his ELC. During the 2025-26 season, the Swedish defenseman tallied nine goals, 25 points and was a plus-12 in 72 games.

According to AFP Analytics, Edvinsson has two projection options for his next contract. The short-term option is a three-year, $5.567 million AAV deal. Regarding the long-term option, the projection is a seven-year, $8.776 million deal. While those projections make sense, there is a chance Edvinsson could make closer to $10 million a season. If that is the case, would the Red Wings make that deal?

Enter the Hurricanes, who have every possible option available to give Edvinsson an offer sheet. Between the 2027 and 2029 NHL drafts, they have 23 picks, including two third-round picks in 2027 and two first-round picks in 2028. The two highest offer sheet options are $9,551,333 to $11,939,166 and $11,939,167 or more. When it comes to the former, the compensation is two 1st Round Picks, a 2027 2nd Round Pick, & a 2027 3rd Round Pick. Anything over $11,939,167 is four first-round picks over the next five drafts.

While the Hurricanes have $11.105 million remaining in cap space, a team can go up to 10% over the cap ceiling during the offseason. Since the cap is $104 million, the Hurricanes can go up to $114 million at most. They would need to be cap-compliant by opening night. So in reality, the Hurricanes could offer Edvinsson a five- or six-year deal with an AAV of $12 million if they wanted to. It could even be up to $10 million annually, if anything. Either way, it would then be on the Red Wings to match the offer or receive picks in compensation.

That being said, it’s not for sure of it will happen. However, the Hurricanes were linked to possibly offering an offer sheet to Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers before they extended him. So it’s a possibility that the Hurricanes could go down that route.

While it is something to keep an eye on, what does that mean for Nikishin, who is also an RFA and already in the Hurricanes’ system?

Does it Make Sense to replace Nikishin with Edvinsson?

When it comes to Nikishin, John Buccigross on Frankly Hockey back on June 26, mentioned how the Russian defenseman and his camp could be asking for a huge number, “sounds like $8-ish (million).” If that is the case, why won’t the Hurricanes jump at that number? It’s a huge number to give to a player who only has a one-season sample size.

Friedman and other insiders have stated that Nikishin and his camp have turned down a “Jackson Blake type deal”. Blake is set to make $5.117 million annually over the next eight years, starting this upcoming season. A bridge deal could work to see if Nikishin can progress to make $8 million a season, but it seems that his camp doesn’t want to go that route. Things could change between now and opening night. If not, that’s where Friedman comes in, with Edvinsson being able to replace Nikishin and fit within the Hurricanes’ system well.

Edvinsson is a tremendous skater and is a solid puck mover with size to boot at 6-foot-6. Plus, he has a physicality to his game that the Hurricanes could utilize on the blueline in a Top 4 role. When it comes to a player comparison, he plays like a Chris Pronger type who can move the puck well, play a shutdown defense, and hit anything that moves. Edvinsson could be a mix of a Pronger and Jaccob Slavin.

While all of this is rumors and speculation, the Hurricanes are always up to something, and Friedman is someone who has a near 100% pulse on what’s going on around the NHL. If there is a chance the Hurricanes could be interested in Edvinsson, then something could be there. Could it be an offer sheet? Could it possibly be a one-for-one trade, or maybe some assets on both sides? Who really knows. But it is a situation to keep an eye on as the offseason rolls along for the defending Stanley Cup champions.