Oct 24, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) controls the pucks during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images The Detroit Red Wings, heading into the final game of their west coast road trip against the Edmonton Oilers and former head coach Mike Babcock, find themselves with two very large, and very public questions facing them on their own roster.
Dylan Larkin’s trade request has not been rescinded, and he is still on the team nearly a month into the season, making him the last of the Olympic Team USA stars from this offseason to not have their trade request granted with Connor Hellebuyck joining the New Jersey Devils late last week. Larkin has had to expand his list of acceptable trade destinations to ten teams after none of the three on his original list, or reported eight from earlier this month, have stepped up to trade for the former Red Wings captain.
Four months on n it’s hard to say that there is a lot of confidence a reasonable trade package can be assembled for the center. Meanwhile, what should have been an easy signing with nearly 30 million dollars in cap space coming into the offseason has now turned into a public feud with top-pairing defenseman Simon Edvinsson as the 6-foot-6 blueliner remains unsigned well after his good faith appearance at training camp and the start of the regular season.
The Fence With Alexander Nikishin re-signed by the Carolina Hurricanes over the weekend, Edvinsson is now the last of the big name RFA’s of the summer to remain unable to play hockey in the NHL. With the very publicly disgruntled Nikishin agreeing to terms with the Carolina Hurricanes after their offseason feud and changing his representation a few times, the question remains how the Red Wings have managed to not complete, or at the very least make progress on a deal with Edvinsson.
There’s no need, or realistic reason, to want to sign a bridge contract, as was reportedly the Red Wings goal over the summer, with the Swede. Unlike Carolina, Detroit is not brushing up against the cap, even after signing forward Alex DeBrincat to a (well deserved) 13-million-dollar AAV contract earlier this month.
Edvinsson has accrued just over two full seasons of NHL game experience, and has just under 60 points as a defenseman in that span. He’s done almost none of that on the power play, and has frequently played second fiddle to Mo Seider, who finished fifth in last year’s Norris Trophy voting.
Edvinsson would be a lot of NHL team’s no. 1 defender, which means they’re willing to pay handsomely for his services. Why the Red Wings weren’t to bring him back in the first place, when they have lacked offensive power for years, is a mystery to just about everyone with eyes.
Despite the Detroit Red Wings having plenty of cap space, and plenty of time, to resolve the biggest headlines that faced them ahead of the 2026-27 NHL regular season, somehow, the team still finds itself to be the last to take care of their own business.
