ST. PAUL, MN — Simon Edvinsson took warmups for the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, Jan. 22, but left early and was unable to suit up when the puck dropped.
A lower-body injury kept the 22-year-old out of the Wings’ game against the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena. The Wings ended up losing, 4-3, in overtime as Edvinsson watched the game from the press box.
Advertisement
“He was questionable leaving Toronto last night,” coach Todd McLellan said. “We thought we might be able to get him get him through another another game, but having today off and tomorrow off will certainly help him.”
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson (77) celebrates with teammates at the bench after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.
THURSDAY’S ACTION: Red Wings served hot dish in OT to snap 3-game win streak
The Wings (31-16-5) next play Saturday at the Winnipeg Jets. McLellan didn’t rule out having Edvinsson available for that outing.
“There’s a chance, yeah,” McLellan said. “We’ll have to get him looked at but he’s walking around and feeling okay. It’s just got to get a little better.”
The lineup chart revealed that had Edvinsson been available, rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka would have been scratched from the lineup, as Jacob Bernard-Docker was slotted onto the second pairing opposite Ben Chiarot before he was moved up to partner with Moritz Seider.
Advertisement
McLellan said the Wings were going to make that decision after the warm-up. But it has been a tough stretch of late for Sandin-Pellikka, who has 52 games played in his first NHL season after playing 48 games all of last season – 46 with Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League and two with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. He played just under 10 minutes in the Toronto game, and only saw two shifts during the second period. In the Jan. 16 game against the San Jose Sharks in Detroit, Sandin-Pellikka didn’t play the last 15 minutes of the third period.
“If we just stop and think about it. he’s 20 years old and he’s played in the second pair since Day 1,” McLellan said. “It’s a grind right now – this is the max amount of games he’s ever played in his life in a season and he’s doing it against men and having to travel. So it’s taxing but he’s handling it well, he’s very determined and it’s our job to help him get through it.”
Hamonic was in Bernard-Docker’s usual spot on the third pairing opposite Albert Johansson.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Simon Edvinsson injury update: Lower-body ailment nixes young Swede