Dec. 27: The Red Wings announced that they’ve activated Edvinsson from injured reserve, indicating he’ll make his return to the lineup tonight against the Maple Leafs after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Wallinder and Lagesson were returned to Grand Rapids over the holiday break in corresponding transactions. Chiarot should also be cleared to play after missing their game against the Blues on Monday, newly-installed head coach Todd McLellan said (per the team’s Daniella Bruce ).
Dec. 23: Prior to tonight’s game, the Red Wings placed defenseman Simon Edvinsson on injured reserve due to an upper-body issue. William Wallinder was called up from AHL Grand Rapids to take Edvinsson’s roster spot, the team announced.
It seemed likely that Edvinsson would be optioned to IR for roster flexibility after head coach Derek Lalonde said this morning that he and defensive counterpart Ben Chiarot would be unavailable against the Blues. Edvinsson has already missed two games with the injury, which he sustained on Dec. 18 against the Flyers. He’ll be eligible to come off IR for Friday’s game against the Maple Leafs if he’s medically cleared, a strong possibility since Detroit hasn’t issued a return timeline beyond day-to-day.
The IR placement hits pause on what’s been a breakout season for Edvinsson on the Red Wings’ thin blue-line. Selected sixth overall in the 2021 draft, he spent most of the prior two seasons in Grand Rapids but has taken a full-time role and run with it this season after a strong showing defensively in a late-season call-up last year. The offense wasn’t there for Edvinsson early on, posting three goals and an assist for four points through his first 25 NHL appearances in 2022-23 and 2023-24. That’s changed this year, with Edvinsson ranking eighth on the team in scoring with 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in 30 games, all at even strength.
Edvinsson is averaging 20:44 per game and is second among Detroit defenders with a 48.6% shot attempt share at even strength. Still just 21, it seems he’s officially on track to reach his top-pairing ceiling.
With William Lagesson also on hand as a more veteran option, it seems likely that Wallinder will sit in the press box tonight and serve as a healthy scratch and last-minute injury protection. The left-shot defender is in his second full season in North America, where he has eight points and a -5 rating in 19 games with Grand Rapids. The 6’4″, 190-lb defender will likely be returned to the minors tomorrow over the holiday break and will only be summoned back to the roster if Chiarot and Edvinsson remain unavailable by the end of the week. Wallinder, 22, was the 32nd overall pick of the 2020 draft.