As they fight for a playoff spot, the Red Wings are bringing their top prospect back to Detroit.
Defenseman Simon Edvinsson has been recalled from Grand Rapids, the club announced Tuesday morning. The 21-year-old should give the Red Wings' blue line a needed boost, with the team having collapsed defensively this month.
The Wings have allowed 4.8 goals per game over a stretch in which they've lost eight of nine -- directly on the heels of allowing 1.7 goals per game while winning six in a row. They had an eight-point cushion on a playoff spot at the peak of that streak.
They enter play Tuesday one point behind the Capitals for the final wild card berth in the East. The Islanders and Sabres are also nipping at their heels.
The 6'6 Edvinsson is a swift skater with a physical edge whose game has grown this season in Grand Rapids. The former sixth overall pick leads the team's defensemen in goals, assists and points while playing a big role on special teams and logging major minutes in 52 games.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said earlier this month that the more he watches Edvinsson in person, the more he sees "an excellent defender."
"He’s gotten more confidence," Yzerman said. "His closing of plays, his play in front of his own net, when to box out and when to front, reading the play in front of him but knowing where everybody is behind him, just his overall defensive play has gotten better."
It's not yet clear who Edvinsson will replace in Detroit's lineup. He joins a blue line with four other left-shot defensemen who have played significant roles this year in Jake Walman, Ben Chiarot, Shayne Gostisbehere and Olli Maatta. But the Red Wings clearly need a jolt, and Edvinsson has the game to give it to them.
"He’s a big guy, he skates, he’s strong enough (for the NHL)," Yzerman said.
The Wings gave Edvinsson a nine-game cameo last season, and he played two games for them earlier this season amid injuries on the blue line. It appears that now, they'll really put him to the test.