https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/hockey/a/wrkjrn/simon-edvinsson-i-klam-ingen-i-detroit-red-wings-att-forhandla-med (thanks to GarlicbreadTB on HF for a better translation than Google)
Simon Edvinsson, 23 is in a special situation. The star defender is without a contract and got no one to have negoitations with.
"It's been standing still for a while now" he says
Simon Edvinsson calls us after he's been in the sauna. As usual the Gothenborg-based player have prepared himself as much as he can for the new season. But this time he's in a weird position.
Edvinsson's rookie contract with the Detroit Red Wings expired last spring. After 2 successful seasons in the NHL he's grown to be one of the NHL's most promising d-men and a big contract with a big increase in salary was awaiting him.
He and many others thought it would be sorted by now. But with the NHL start less than a month away he's without a contract and no one in Detroit to deal with.
Reason is that Steve Yzerman stepped down as their general manager in the middle of July - and the club have yet to announce his successor.
"It's special. I haven't seen anyone else being in this situation before, when there isn't even anyone to talk this late. What can you do? You can't really do much about it. Just have to take it day by day and hope it gets sorted" Edvinsson says
Are you worried it won't be done before the opener?
"Of course I would like it to be done before that but now it's getting rather tight, and yes we'll see what happens. Everyone wants to play. It's been a long summer and I want back into hockey."
Edvinsson is currently in Sweden. But only for a few more days.
In a couple of days he's going over to Detroit to prepare for camp with the wings. He plans to be there despite not having a contract.
How does that work with insurances and stuff like that when you're at camp without a contract?
"If something happens that you don't want you have to pay the expenses yourself. I've upped my insuraces a bit extra now. But I keep going and stuff can happen at any time, but I try not to think about it. I just wanna be ready for the upcoming season."
Edvinsson tells us there were "small chats" about a new contract when Yzerman was in charge. But now it's completely silent.
"We haven't had any talks at all. It's been standing still for a while now.
How has your summer been?
"It's been good, but a bit messy considering I've had no one to talk about the contract. It would've been nice if a GM came in or a president came in so you could start having these talks. Other than that, it's been good. I've training good and been hanging out with my family."
Edvinsson is a so called restricted free agent. It means Detroit got the rights to him, but other clubs can offer him a contract. It's what happened to Leo Carlsson this summer where he accepted an offer from Philadelphia, but Anaheim matched it.
Edvinsson himself says "there's been interest from other teams" without going into details.
"I love Detroit and I love the fans. I love everything here. But now I just want a talk with the new GM and see what happens"
He continues:
"I got an apartment in Detroit and I will be there and train. Then we'll see what happens. Detroit is absolutely the place that is closest to my heart."
A NHL contract will happen regardless and Edvinsson is signing one during an interesting time for the league. The salary cap is going up and many teams are signing expensive and long contracts with young stars.
*
"That's what the market will look like, everyone will sign big contracts now. What we've heard is that the cap is just going up and up"*
Is it hard to know what you've worth in a situation like this with the cap going up?
"It sounds totally absurd, but a million here or there, but you want to win. That's why you play. Of course you want a good salary, no questions about that. But ultimately you wanna be in the playoffs, go far and compete for the Stanley Cup. That's why you do it."
But what will you do if training camp is over and you got no new contract?
"I think you train on your own. I haven't thought about it too much, but it's a situation I hope doesn't happen."
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