Red Wings’ Simon Edvinsson out until after Olympic break
The Detroit Red Wings will continue to be without one of their top defensemen until at least late February.
Head coach Todd McLellan revealed on Monday that Simon Edvinsson will not return from injury until after the pause in the NHL’s schedule, which will take place from February 6th through February 24th, for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Simon Edvinsson out through the Olympic break, McLellan says
This news sets Edvinsson’s earliest possible return for February 26th against the Ottawa Senators.
Edvinsson, 22, has missed Detroit’s last two games with a lower-body injury. In 48 games played this season, the Swedish national has six goals and 11 assists for 17 points while averaging just over 22 and a half minutes of ice time.
The Red Wings selected Edvinsson sixth overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. After a final season for Frolunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Edvinsson came to North America in the 2022-23 season, when he played mostly for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. In 52 games for Grand Rapids that season, he put up five goals and 22 assists for 27 points. Edvinsson did play nine games for Detroit that season, notching two goals and no assists.
In the 2023-24 season, Edvinsson again saw most of his action in the AHL, registering just a goal and an assist in 16 games for the Red Wings that year. Last season, though, he became a full-time NHLer, scoring seven goals and adding 24 assists for 31 points while immediately becoming one of Detroit’s most relied-upon defenders.
Edvinsson’s current injury is also bad news for the Swedish men’s national team. While he wasn’t initially named to Sweden’s roster for the upcoming Olympics, Edvinsson was a strong candidate to be called upon as an injury replacement if necessary.
The Red Wings will begin a three-game homestand when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.