Simon Edvinsson manhandles the Senators: Red Wings suffer embarrassing loss
Photo credit: Carlos Osorio, Associated Press
The Red Wings had a squad full of NHL veterans and lost to an AHL lineup of the Ottawa Senators. Detroit's Simon Edvinsson was not in a good mood about this.
It would appear that the Detroit Red Wings have their blue line taken care of for a few years going forward. On Friday night, rookie defenseman Simon Edvinsson gave a real standout moment to the hockey world. Based on this moment, fans of the Red Wings might be in for some real magic in the near future, as Edvinsson could take a big role in the team's D-Core.
In the game against the Ottawa Senators, in which the the Red Wings embarrassingly lost, Edvinsson made a statement by crushing former first-round pick Tyler Boucher with a hit that stopped his advance out of the defensive zone with precision and force. There was nothing dirty on the hit; it was clean, hard hockey that left Boucher stunned and the crowd on their feet, showing Edvinsson's ability to control the ice.
In response to the hit, Senators rookie Cole Reinhardt looked to stick up for his teammate, charging at Edvinsson with clear intent to fight. Despite Reinhardt's aggression, Edvinsson remained calm, avoiding a fight by simply holding Reinhardt at bay with one arm and making it quite clear that Reinhardt was outmatched. It was the image of Edvinsson so easily keeping Reinhardt at bay and then wrestling him to the ice that showed how physically big and mature this 21-year-old defenseman is.
That wasn't just a show of Edvinsson's size and strength, but more to the point, his poise and maturity for a young player. To have played only 25 games to date over two seasons, the fact he doesn't get rattled by confrontation speaks to his ceiling to be an important piece for the Red Wings.
In other words, what Simon Edvinsson did on Friday night was a message in bold print to the NHL. This size, this strength, and this poise make him a player for other teams to keep an eye on, and if this is what the future holds for Detroit's defense, the Red Wings may be building something special. They may just want to forget last night's unexpected loss to an AHL-filled Senators lineup.
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