Red Wings Edvinsson Demands Perfection

In Detroit’s opener against Pittsburgh, Edvinsson was making the decision to stick up for teammate Alex DeBrincat after he’d been wronged by a Penguins player. Edvinsson got carried away with his retribution and took a cross-checking penalty. It would lead to a Pittsburgh power-play goal.

“I saw DeBrincat get a little bit of an ugly hit,” Edvinsson explained. “It was not the right moment to take that penalty. I was just frustrated.

“I’m that guy. I want to stand up for my teammates. I didn’t take it the right way, but I’m gonna learn from that.”

Red Wings Want Edvinsson To Play Within Himself

When Edvinsson is on top of his game, he can be a dominating performer.

“I think the experience that he got at the end of last year has kind rolled over,” said Jeff Petry, often Edvinsson defense partner. “Getting that confidence, knowing that he came up, played well, belonged here. And then just his skill-set. He skates well, he’s big, makes a good first pass. All those things we saw at the end of last year.”

When he sticks to his knitting, Edvinsson is an effectiver performer. It’s when he tries to do too much that he gets himself in trouble. He’s giving up easy offense by taking unnecessary 50/50 chances. He’s taking needless penalties.

“I went a little bit too much,” Edvinsson said of his performance in Detroit’s opener. “I was so excited to play again, and when you try to overdo stuff, that’s when it’s like shooting yourself in the foot kind of thing.

“That game got away from me in the second and the third, I feel like especially around the net. I know I could do better. I did it last year. I did it here before.”

In Detroit’s past two games, Edvinsson has avoided overdoing it and is doing just fine. It might not be perfect, but the Red Wings are perfectly happy with what they’ve been getting ever since from their big Swede.

“I think he just wants to get better every single day, and I think that’s the right mindset,” fellow defender Moritz Seider said. “I think he can be a force for us.”