As of July 1, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson is eligible to sign a contract extension. The 22-year-old former first-round pick just wrapped up his first full NHL season, where he posted seven goals and 31 points in 78 games.
Edvinsson has one year remaining in his entry-level contract. And like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond before him, the blueliner is expected to earn a big contract extension with the Red Wings.
What might that new deal look like? Short term or long term? Today, we’ll take an early look at an Edvinsson contract extension, knowing the organization has just under a year to re-sign him.
Red Wings/Edvinsson Contract Extension At First Look
Heading into the negotiation, Edvinsson’s main bargaining chip is his value to the team. In his first full NHL season, he defended at an elite level and put up his 31 points without much power play time.
It shouldn’t be a contentious negotiation, though. The Red Wings see Edvinsson as a key pillar moving forward and the blueliner can’t threaten to file for arbitration – he’s not eligible yet. Instead, the main focus will likely be term. They can go short with a one- or two-year deal or max out at eight years.
Detroit should push for eight. The new CBA—which goes into effect for the 2026-27 season—caps re-signings at seven years. There’s value in locking in that eighth year now with the salary cap expected to increase greatly over the next several years.
My contract projection model agreed – eight years is the best outcome for the Red Wings. With K’Andre Miller, Bowen Byram, and Matt Roy as the top comparables, it suggested that the AAV should fall between $7.1 and $8.5 million.
Miller recently signed for eight years at $8.5 million. Byram just signed for two years at $6.25 million. These two should give some indication as to what the short- and long-term contract options could look like.
That said, other contract extensions could influence Edvinsson’s next deal. For one, I don’t expect the Red Wings to let Edvinsson’s AAV surpass that of Moritz Seider ($8.55 million).
Related: Identifying the Red Wings’ Next Contention Window
Additionally, Edvinsson’s agent could reference Owen Power’s 2023 deal with the Buffalo Sabres. He signed for eight years at $8.35 million, which, based on cap hit percentage (9.49 percent), would be about $9.87 million when operating under a $104 million salary cap in 2026-27. New deals for Thomas Harley, Luke Hughes, and Lane Hutson could be used as anchoring points as well.
But as of now, an eight-year, $8.125 million AAV deal makes the most sense for Edvinsson. An impressive 2025-26 campaign could change that, though.
Final Word
The reality of the situation is that there’s no rush to sign a contract extension – at least on Edvinsson’s side. He has the 2025-26 season ahead of him to bolster his value and make the case for an even more lucrative contract.
Surely, the Red Wings would prefer to lock Edvinsson into a more team-friendly deal now and achieve some cost savings. Plus, it would give them some certainty ahead of the 2026 Trade Deadline and offseason – they’d know exactly how much cap space they have for additions instead of ballparking it while negotiating with Edvinsson’s agent.
Re-signing Edvinsson should be an immediate priority for the Red Wings. Edvinsson’s agent may feel otherwise. And it takes two to tango.
Data courtesy of PuckPedia.
