Wings Horcoff Has Work Cut Out For Him

Shawn Horcoff’s job as interim Detroit Red Wings general manager has put him in charge of what can only be called the NHL’s biggest clean-up operation.

Horcoff inherited a mess.

When he took over on Sept. 15, he inherited a team that had missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons. Dylan Larkin had already asked to be traded and had been stripped of his captaincy. No one had really negotiated with restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson over the summer.  The Red Wings didn’t find any scoring help in the free agent or trade markets. The team’s leading goal scorer Alex DeBrincat was nine months from testing the market as an unrestricted free agent.

The fan base was angry for a number of reasons, including the fact that CEO Chris Ilitch seemed to slow-play the search for a new director of hockey of operations. After two months, Horcoff was hired on an interim basis. It took Ilitch weeks to explain to fans what was happening with this historic franchise.

That’s why Horcoff could be excused for feeling pretty good this morning that his team has points in four of their last five games and DeBrincat is now contractually tied up for the next seven years. 

Given where he was two weeks ago, this feels like progress.

The clean-up is far from complete. Edvinsson’s situation has escalated to the point that he has indicated he’d prefer to be traded. But most fans are happy with Horcoff’s position on that matter.

“I have zero interest in trading Simon Edvinsson,” Horcoff said. “. . . He’s a player we value here, and I know everyone in the locker room does as well. So (a trade) is not something I am entertaining.”

Fans are still worried about 6-foot-6 Edvinsson because he has already established himself as a top pairing defenseman. 

There are no guarantees, but Horcoff clearly wants to get him signed. Horcoff’s previous job was Detroit assistant general manager, in charge of the Red Wings’ American League team in Grand Rapids (Mich.). He understands Edvinsson’s growth and potential better than anyone in the Detroit organization.

 “Simon still remains a priority for us,” Horcoff said. “Nothing’s changed on our part or my part. . . we’re working, very, very diligently to sign him. He’s part of our future. We’ve spent a lot of time with Simon, developing him. I think he’s a big part of our core moving forward.”

Even though Horcoff met with the media Wednesday to discuss DeBrincat’s contract, about 40% of the questions to Horcoff were about Edvinsson.

The clock is ticking because the Red Wings have to re-sign him by Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. or he is ineligible to play in the NHL this season.

What Are The Wings Offering?

It’s unknown what the Red Wings are offering Edvinsson, but coming into the season it was presumed that the Red Wings would have to pay him in the range of $9 to $10 million per season. Reports say the Red Wings had preferred a shorter-term deal. But if that were once true, it’s not true now.

“We’re open to anything,” Horcoff said. “I think the details of it, we’ll still keep to ourselves. But again, when you’re trying to sign a player, you have to be open-minded to all kinds of options. We certainly are.”

The other change that Horcoff has brought about is expanding the opportunities given to younger players. The Red Wings moved young Emmitt Finnie to center, and that has paid off. Rookies Anton Johansson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard are playing regularly.

The Red Wings seem resigned to the fact they likely will have to trade Larkin, who has not backed off his trade request. Owning a full no-trade clause, Larkin has increased the number of acceptable destinations from three to a reported 10 or more.  He wants out.

It’s been clear that Detroit isn’t the favored destination for players that it once was.

But it was desirable to DeBrincat, who made it clear throughout negotiations that he wanted to remain in Detroit, provided they were willing to pay fair market value.

Based on having three 40-goal seasons, DeBrincat compared closely to Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor and Dallas’s Jason Robertson. They are both earning $12 million per season. With salaries rising significantly, the $13 million AAV seemed fair. The career numbers for three players are comparable.

“It was never really a question,” DeBrincat said. “I wanted to be here. The money’s not everything.”

DeBrincat could have gone into the market next summer and pushed for a bigger payday. But that wasn’t what he wanted to do.

“What’s the extra (money) going to do?” DeBrincat said. “I knew this was the spot I wanted to be. I’m a Red Wing at heart, and that’s why I wanted to do it and get it done as quickly as possible.”