Simon Edvinsson's name is in play, and the Red Wings are no longer insisting on NHL-ready help coming back.
Frank Seravalli reported Wednesday afternoon that teams were told Detroit would consider a futures-based package of prospects and draft picks for the big Swedish defenseman.
The preference is still a roster player who can help now. But a prospects-and-picks deal is on the table, and around the league, that detail landed loudly.
Why would a franchise entertain a futures return for a 23-year-old blueliner it drafted sixth overall in 2021? Rival teams are now wondering if the rebuild itself needs rebuilding.
The early record doesn't calm anyone down. The Red Wings are 1-2-0 and sit last in their division, with all three games played on home ice.
They were held scoreless by the Rangers in the opener and dropped a 3-2 decision to Winnipeg. Tuesday's 5-3 win over Ottawa stopped the bleeding, barely.
Steve Yzerman's long rebuild is suddenly under the microscope
Steve Yzerman took over in April 2019. More than seven years later, his club is entertaining offers built around futures, and that should sting in Detroit.
Edvinsson is exactly the kind of piece a rebuild is supposed to produce. He stands 6-foot-6, weighs 222 pounds and shoots left.
The production showed up early. He posted 31 points in 78 games in 2024-25, a real number for a defenseman still finding his footing in the league.
Last season, the points slipped to 25. The rating went the other way, climbing to a +12 across 72 games.
Career-wise, he sits at 60 points over 175 NHL games. He has 158 penalty minutes to go with it, so this isn't a passenger.
His last listed cap hit was $894,167, running through 2025-26 with restricted free agent status attached.
Look at the rest of the blue line. Moritz Seider carries an $8,550,000 cap hit and has one assist with a -2 rating to start the year.
Justin Faulk is 34. Ben Chiarot is 35. The veterans are carrying real minutes on a back end that isn't getting younger on its own.
Moving him for picks would be a bad idea. Big, mobile, left-shot defensemen in their early 20s are the hardest thing in hockey to find.
Selling one for futures is like tearing out the kitchen you just finished because the living room still looks rough.
And the prospects coming back wouldn't help the bench this season, or likely the next one.
Seattle visits Friday night to open a back-to-back that finishes Saturday in Montreal. Whatever Yzerman hears on the phone before puck drop, the price for Edvinsson just got a lot more interesting.
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Should Steve Yzerman trade Simon Edvinsson for prospects and draft picks?
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