DETROIT -- Simon Edvinsson skated in the first practice of training camp with the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday even though the restricted free agent didn’t have a contract.
The 23-year-old defenseman did not participate in a full-contact scrimmage and declined to speak to the media, saying he wanted to wait until his contract was signed.
“There are some business things that have to be taken care of, and they will get taken care of,” coach Todd McLellan said. “But I give Simon a lot of credit.
It would have been easy for him to say, ‘I’m staying at home in Sweden. I don’t want to be around my teammates.’ He recognized the situation we were all in.
He showed up, and he was ready to perform.
“His team and the team of managers that we have right now are working diligently to get something done, and we can’t wait to have this guy back on the ice, because he means a lot to our group.”
Shawn Horcoff, who was named interim general manager Tuesday, said Wednesday that signing Edvinsson is a priority.
“Simon is a fantastic player and a bright spot in our organization," Horcoff said,"so we’re going to get to work on that contract as soon as we can and hopefully have something done here shortly.”
Selected by the Red Wings with the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Edvinsson had 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 72 games last season, his second full season in the NHL. He averaged 22:21 of ice time, second on Detroit behind defenseman Moritz Seider (25:40).
