The priority for the Detroit Red Wings is very much getting Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson into their lineup, rather than trade either.
At least one may be available as soon as Tuesday, Oct. 6 (7 p.m.,
Detroit SportsNet), when the Wings host the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena. Larkin has been dealing with an upper-body since before training camp, but he has practiced with the team since Sept. 23 and, and after a doctor's visit on Sept. 28, the diagnosis was that Larkin should be ready in a week.
The Edvinsson saga is more complex: He needs a contract, and the lack of progress on that front prompted him to return to his native Sweden last week.
Here's the latest on both players.
Dylan Larkin
Larkin requested a trade shortly after last season ended, but the preference all along for the Wings has been to work things out. Larkin, 30, plays a key role: He's their top center, a position at which the Wings lack depth, and he has five years left on a hugely favorable $69.6 million contract that carries an $8.7 million annual average value, and on which the Wings already have paid out $31 million in actual salary on the eight-year extension Larkin signed on March 1, 2023. He has leverage because he has a no-trade clause, but the team has leverage because Larkin has significant term left on his contract.
No team has offered the value-now return the Wings seek, and the focus remains on the Waterford product and Michigan alumnus remaining in the only NHL uniform he has ever worn.
Take the scenario that presented itself on Friday. The Wings have a opening-night tradition of introducing all their players individually – the ones who are playing, of course, but also those who are injured or otherwise not in the lineup. A person within the NHL – granted anonymity because they are unauthorized to speak publicly – told the Free Press that the team told Larkin he did not have to be part of the introductions if he preferred to stay off the bench, as booing was predictable. (Fans did indeed soundly boo Larkin, who acknowledged the introduction by raising his right hand for a second.) It was Larkin's choice to be out there with his teammates.
When he met with reporters on Sept. 17, the first day of training camp, Larkin cited wanting to keep the trade request a private matter, but did say he wanted to win back the trust of his teammates and the coaching staff. He has made inroads on that by being part of practices. He also showed up for a sponsor function in the days before the season opener, when again, the team told him he didn't have to be there.
Now the next step is, once cleared, to rejoin the lineup and help the Wings win. He'll likely get booed at Little Caesars Arena again, but nothing quiets boos better than a hard effort and helping his team win.
Simon Edvinsson
Teammates are baffled by Edvinsson's decision to go to Sweden – a full day's journey involving connecting flights - after going to the trouble to arrange insurance so that he could practice with them during camp. Front office personnel are frustrated he won't answer or return calls.
Edvinsson's side has been publicly quiet since Edvinsson said he was anxious about the contract stalemate late in camp. His agent, J.P. Barry, told the Free Press over the weekend there would be no commenting on the situation. Wings interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said ahead of the season opener that it's a priority to sign Edvinsson, for good reason. Edvinsson can certainly request a trade, and another team can sign him to an offer sheet - but the Wings own his rights.
Like Larkin, Edvinsson, 23, is a key player – a 6-foot-6, 220-pound defenseman who skates well and handles the puck with dexterity. He posted nine goals among 25 points and a plus-12 rating in 72 games in 2025-26, only his second full NHL season. Edvinsson is in line for a massive raise over the $894,167 he made during each of the three years of the entry-level contract that expired at the end of June. Every day since the season began that he's not signed, he's losing money – and the Wings, losing games.
The Wings, according to the source, are willing to commit to a longer-term deal, which makes sense given salaries for top players escalate each year under a rapidly ballooning NHL salary cap. Already, the contract signed in two years ago by Moritz Seider (seven years at an $8.55 million average) looks like a great deal.
After the Wings lost their second game of the season, Alex DeBrincat – the high-scoring forward Horcoff says is a priority to extend – said he thought players in the locker room, "have done a pretty good job of keeping the noise out of here." What would be welcome is the noise that comes with winning, and the front office knows there's a better chance of that with Larkin and Edvinsson in the lineup.
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Latest on where Red Wings are at with Dylan Larkin, Simon Edvinsson
