Simon Edvinsson, a defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings, left the game on Wednesday night due to an upper-body injury. He never came back.
The Red Wings obviously missed Edvinsson, even though they managed to put together defensive pairs for the remainder of the game. This season, Detroit has benefited greatly from the 6-foot-6 blueliner.According to head coach Derek Lalonde, “his and (Seider’s) numbers of getting pucks out, getting pucks out clean, (have) been really high.” (from The Athletic, 12/19/24) “The significance of Simon Edvinsson to Red Wings has never been more evident.” “And it’s a big plus, and it’s a part of him.”
The Red Wings will have big shoes to fill, both literally and figuratively, if Edvinsson is unable to play this weekend. Keeping that in mind, let’s examine how Detroit can use their defensive pairings in Edvinsson’s absence.
Options for Red Wings to Replace Edvinsson
Let’s look at the data to see who should skate with Moritz Seider on the top pair. The following measures Detroit’s effectiveness in conjunction with Seider: their five-on-five minutes, shot attempt share (CF%), and high-danger chances-for-percentage (HDCF%).These are relatively small sample sizes, with the exception of Chiarot. However, there are a few intriguing choices.
One is that, offensively, Seider and Petry have been a good combination. Additionally, in the 16 minutes that the two were on the ice, no goals were scored by opponents. However, Petry’s poor performance against top competition is the issue, and Seider’s primary responsibility is to stop those players.
Even though the sample size is smaller, Holl’s numbers are superior to those of elite competition. Seider receives a good number of offensive zone starts, but he isn’t a threat offensively.Johansson is another player who hasn’t played much with Seider or against top competition, but he has displayed some promising moments this season. He’s done a respectable job of facilitating zone exits, and he might benefit from a chance to compete with the league’s top players.
The Red Wings should never use Gustafsson or Chiarot alongside Seider. The former ought to remain on the second pair with Petry or Holl, if at all. Chiarot and Seider haven’t been able to develop chemistry and just don’t work as a couple, even after 114 even-strength minutes together. Give up attempting to make fetch occur.
Going back to the top pair, it is a fact that Edvinsson cannot be replaced one for one. The Red Wings might choose to use a committee approach instead. Petry might receive most of the reps, with defensive zone starts coming from Holl or Johansson.In addition to keeping Seider on the ice more frequently, this tactic might help Gustafsson, who has had a difficult season.
Last Word
The Red Wings have alternatives if Edvinsson must miss time. It may surprise you to learn that Petry is the best person to deploy on the top pair with Seider.Nevertheless, a possible Edvinsson absence highlights how bad Detroit’s blue line is. In actuality, the Red Wings have two top-pair defensemen and a group of depth/third-pair rearguards who are completely out of their element when playing against top-tier opponents. This offseason, Steve Yzerman should make adding a legitimate, top-four defenseman (or two) his top priority.
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