The Red Wings gave Moritz Seider a big contract two years ago when they signed him to a seven-year, $59.85MM contract ($8.55MM AAV). In his latest mailbag (subscription link), The Athletic’s Max Bultman suggests that pending RFA blueliner Simon Edvinsson’s next contract could fall in that range. While he lacks the offensive output that players like Jackson LaCombe and Luke Hughes ($9MM apiece) have achieved, the 22-year-old is averaging nearly 22 minutes per game, not far off Seider’s usage in his platform year. With the salary cap projected to jump much faster in the next few years, it’s certainly plausible that Edvinsson’s next contract lands in Seider’s range even if he isn’t quite as impactful overall as the 2022 Calder Trophy winner.
More from the Atlantic:
- The Senators won’t have center Shane Pinto available to them for tomorrow’s game against St. Louis, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He suffered a lower-body injury early in Thursday’s game and is still being evaluated at this time. Meanwhile, there is no timeline for fellow middleman Lars Eller’s return to the lineup from an undisclosed injury. Ottawa recently recalled center Stephen Halliday and head coach Travis Green confirmed that they are contemplating another recall. With Ridly Greig being able to move back down the middle, the Sens won’t be restricted to only considering centers; winger Arthur Kaliyev is off to a strong start and could be worthy of a promotion.
- Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen returned to practice today for the first time since suffering burns while barbecuing, mentions team reporter Rob Darragh. He has missed the last eight games while recovering. The 27-year-old has taken on a bigger role this season in Aleksander Barkov’s absence, collecting 10 points in 18 games while logging a career-high 16:46 per game of ice time. Head coach Paul Maurice wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Luostarinen playing this weekend; if he does, Florida won’t have to make a roster move as they kept him on the active roster while injured.
Ain’t no way Edvinsson getting anywhere near that AAV. He’ll have to take a bridge deal unless he wants less money for longer term. He hasn’t progressed enough yet with his puck moving abilities to justify that much money this soon.