Players can’t wait to welcome back their teammate, even as he’s distanced himself from the Detroit Red Wings.

News broke out of Sweden on Wednesday, Sept. 30 that Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent without a contract, had returned home and was skating with Fröulunda in his hometown of Gothenburg. He last skated iwth the Wings Saturday morning, before their final preseason game.

“We just know that he wants to be here,” teammate Moritz Seider said after practice. “We want him here, and that’s the bottom line. Everyone has to fight for their own contracts, and we all have his back and we support him. And we’re just looking forward to when he eventually signs, hopefully sooner rather than late because he’s a big part of our team, a big part of this organization and, moving forward, he will be a big piece to our success.”

Swedish reporter Andreas III Johansson posted on social media that, “Simon Edvinsson is back in Sweden. Training with Frölunda on Wednesday.”

Edvinsson, 23, arranged for his own insurance so that he could be with his teammates during training camp, taking part in practices but not scrimmages or exhibition games. Once the preseason ended, however, he was no longer around the team. Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said in a statement, “Simon is not practicing with the team. The organization will continue conversations with Simon and his representatives.”

The Wings open the 2026-27 season on Friday, Oct. 2, when they host the New York Rangers. Edvinsson could make the opener if he’s signed in the next 24 hours, though it would require an early morning flight from Sweden connecting through a major international airport like Amsterdam Schipol airport or Paris Charles De Gaulle.

“The situation is an important one, but we have so much to worry about in here,” Andrew Copp said. “I can’t really worry about if Simon is going to be here Friday or not. That’s not my job. We want Simon here. He’s a fantastic player, he’s going to be a huge player for us for a long time, but none of us can control whether he’s going to be here Friday or not.”

Two years ago, under former general manager Steve Yzerman, then-RFAs Seider and Lucas Raymond did not sign new deals until right around the start of camp.

“I think as a teammate, you’re making sure that he’s in a good mindset,” Raymond said. “You kind of let all the business side to the front office. That’s all we can do. Simon’s a great player. He’s a great guy. He’s a big part of our team and we want him here. But at the same time, that’s not really in our control. We’re focused on Friday.”

If Edvinsson isn’t available, rookie Anton Johansson looks poised to make his debut.

“The players that are here in the locker room, the coaching staff that’s here, we have jobs to do,” coach Todd McLellan said. “The business between Simon and the hockey club, we have nothing to do with it. We can’t change it. We can’t affect it. There’s nothing we can do about it. So it’s pretty simple − we get out, we have a good practice like we did today, and we get ready for the game. And if you’re in a Red Wing jersey, then you’re playing. That’s the only way we can deal with it.”

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: How Red Wings are coping with Simon Edvinsson back in Sweden

Reporting by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press

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