Edvinsson Is at Camp. The Contract Is Not.

Simon Edvinsson is on the ice in Detroit, which is the easy part. He showed up as expected despite remaining an unsigned restricted free agent, and the Red Wings are getting a look at a defenseman who logged more than 22 minutes a night last season. What they don't have is a deal. And now Shawn Horcoff — a few days into his tenure as interim GM — has to be the one to close it.

The market didn't wait for Detroit to sort out its front office. Zeev Buium's extension reset the comparable for young defensemen at Edvinsson's level, and insiders have noted the parallel pushes his price tag higher than it might have been a month ago. Horcoff inherited that problem along with everything else in the in-box.

My read is that this is actually the most tractable item on Horcoff's list right now. Edvinsson is here, which signals a willingness to work something out. The Larkin situation is thornier — an injured captain, an extension deadline, no clarity on timeline. The Edvinsson negotiation at least has two parties in the same building. That's something.

The next 10 days will tell us whether Horcoff can move quickly enough to get this done before the market shifts again. Another comparable deal somewhere around the league, and the number goes up once more. Detroit has been chasing this one since before it had a GM. It still doesn't have a permanent one. But it does have Horcoff, a pen, and a defenseman who showed up.