Red Wings blue line takes a big hit, and Winnipeg suddenly has a clear edge
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Daniel Lucente
Jan 24, 2026 (1:31 PM)
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Photo credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
Simon Edvinsson's lower-body injury scratches him vs the Winnipeg Jets, and the Red Wings' blue line suddenly looks thin.
Detroit coach Todd McLellan said the defenseman will not play in Winnipeg and will be re-evaluated after the road trip ends back home.
That matters because this is the kind of game Winnipeg can flip with a couple ugly shifts in Detroit's end.
Edvinsson has been a minutes-eater, sitting at 6-11-17 through 48 games while playing over 22 minutes a night.
He's also a 22-year-old, 2021 first-rounder, sixth overall, drafted by Detroit for these exact road-game matchups.
"Red Wings HC Todd McLellan says D Simon Edvinsson (lower body) won't play in Winnipeg and will be re-evaluated after the team returns home to Detroit."
- Ken Wiebe
- Ken Wiebe
Without him, Detroit has fewer clean exits, and that feeds Winnipeg's forecheck and second-chance looks.
The Jets can rim pucks, force hurried touches, and turn broken clears into immediate slot pressure.
It also changes Detroit's penalty-kill comfort, because one less long-stick defender means more seams to guard on the man advantage.
Simon Edvinsson's absence opens space on the ice for the Jets
Jets fans can feel it, this is the kind of injury news that screams "take two points now."
At home, Winnipeg controls matchups, and that can mean more offensive-zone starts against Detroit's stretched depth.
If Detroit leans harder on its remaining top defenders, fatigue creeps in by the third period.
That's when Winnipeg's net-front chaos can turn rebounds into the whole story.
And if coverage breaks down, John Gibson may wind up staring through traffic all night.
This is a real opening, and the Jets have to play like they know it.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 24|108 ANSWERS Red Wings blue line takes a big hit, and Winnipeg suddenly has a clear edge Will Simon Edvinsson missing this game help the Winnipeg Jets win? | ||
| Yes | 39 | 36.1 % |
| No | 69 | 63.9 % |
| List of polls | ||