Detroit Red Wings' 22-year-old defenseman Simon Edvinsson amongst the top 10 named 2026 restricted free agents
Photo credit: NHL.com
Bleacher Report recently revealed the top 10 restricted free agents for next years 2026 offseason, and it involves 22-year old Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
As they take a deep dive into the large group of RFA's, several stand out.
"A restricted free agent rarely changes teams during the offseason unless they're traded or are successfully signed by a rival club through the offer-sheet process.
Most end up inking lucrative long-term deals, especially those coming off their second NHL contract, as they hold arbitration rights.
Some restricted free agents file for salary arbitration, creating the possibility they'll become UFAs if their teams disagree with the arbitrator's decision. However, that seldom occurs because arbitration is often used to create an artificial deadline for the player and team to agree to a new contract."
Most end up inking lucrative long-term deals, especially those coming off their second NHL contract, as they hold arbitration rights.
Some restricted free agents file for salary arbitration, creating the possibility they'll become UFAs if their teams disagree with the arbitrator's decision. However, that seldom occurs because arbitration is often used to create an artificial deadline for the player and team to agree to a new contract."
Edvinsson has just appeared in his first full NHL season, averaging a whopping 21:01 of ice time per game while carrying the second defensive pairing's left side.
Quite impressive for a 22 year old defenseman who has yet to reach the peak of his game, but that will ultimately make Steve Yzerman go broke once the time comes.
Edvinsson will break Detroit's bank in free agency
"His size and skills also earned the 6'6", 209-pound blueliner some playing time on the top pairing alongside Moritz Seider. The duo provided a tantalizing preview of what could become the Wings' top defense line for years.
Should Edvisson, 22, continue his development as expected, he'll put himself in line for a big raise coming out of his entry-level contract. Wings management will want to keep his annual cap hit below Seider's $8.55 million. Depending on his play, he could get an AAV of around $6.5 million."
Should Edvisson, 22, continue his development as expected, he'll put himself in line for a big raise coming out of his entry-level contract. Wings management will want to keep his annual cap hit below Seider's $8.55 million. Depending on his play, he could get an AAV of around $6.5 million."
An AAV of $6.5 million for Edvinsson would be an absolute steal, especially with the salary cap raising up.
My prediction would be $7.5M, which would still be very fair and beneficial for the Red Wings, and we will soon find out the finalized number.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 23 | 106 ANSWERS Detroit Red Wings' 22-year-old defenseman Simon Edvinsson amongst the top 10 named 2026 restricted free agents Does defenseman Simon Edvinsson deserve $8M on his next deal? | ||
| Yes | 57 | 53.8 % |
| No | 49 | 46.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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