Friedman speculation links Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson to a possible Hurricanes offer sheet

The NHL’s offseason chessboard shifted again on July 7 when NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, speaking on his “32 Thoughts” podcast, raised the possibility that Carolina could pursue Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson via an offer sheet. The idea surfaced in the same moment the hockey world reacted to a public, large offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers to Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson, turning what is usually a behind-closed-doors negotiation into a league-wide conversation about roster control.

According to the report, Carlsson’s offer sheet is for five years and $90 million, with a salary cap hit of $18 million. The article notes that if Anaheim does not match, Carlsson would become the highest-paid player in NHL history on a per-season basis. That context matters because offer sheets are one of the few mechanisms that can force a team to choose between keeping its own player or absorbing the cost of losing him.

For Detroit, the relevant detail is that Edvinsson was tendered a qualifying offer, which preserves the Red Wings’ restricted free agent status for him. At the same time, that means he remains eligible to be extended an offer sheet by another club, even if his rights are retained by Detroit. The article frames Edvinsson as a player who has developed into one of Detroit’s core pieces on the back end, trailing only Moritz Seider in the team’s overall internal value.

The report also provides production context. It says Edvinsson played 72 games and set a career high with nine goals, adding 16 assists for 25 points. Friedman’s comments, as relayed in the article, connect Edvinsson to a Carolina need, specifically in the event the Hurricanes lose restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin. In that scenario, the insider argued that Carolina would look for a defenseman who fits its system, and he floated Edvinsson as such an option.

What makes this speculation notable is that offer sheets, while rare, tend to carry outsized consequences beyond the player involved. For the Hurricanes, an Edvinsson pursuit would represent a “win now” defensive reinforcement by adding a high-upside, established defenseman rather than waiting for development to catch up. For the Red Wings, it is the flip side of leverage: a qualifying offer helps keep Edvinsson in Detroit’s orbit, but it does not prevent other teams from testing the market.

Still, there is a wide gap between a name raised on a podcast and a signed contract. The report is explicit that Friedman wondered whether Carolina could make such a move, not that any offer has already been made. Detroit’s ultimate summer choices, Carolina’s restricted free agent outcomes, and whether the Hurricanes decide they want to spend their flexibility on an external target all remain open questions.

In the days ahead, the league will watch whether Carolina’s restricted free agent situation creates real pressure on its defense corps, and whether the Flyers’ Carlsson offer sheet reshapes how other teams manage their own negotiations. If Edvinsson becomes part of a concrete offer-sheet process, the NHL’s balance of power dynamic in the restricted free agent market will sharpen quickly again.

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