The Bruins are reportedly more interested in Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson than in Dylan Larkin, and the Boston market just got more interesting.
That's the word from Elliotte Friedman, who spoke about it Thursday on the FAN Hockey Show, according to NHL Rumour Report.
Friedman said he heard about Boston more in connection with Edvinsson than Larkin. He added that he believes the Bruins have poked around Edvinsson a bit.
Friedman also made clear that this doesn't mean the Bruins don't want Larkin. It's a ranking of what he's hearing, not a closed door.
The timing is notable. Boston lost 4-1 at St. Louis on Thursday night, its second straight defeat, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 of 18 shots.
Even so, the Bruins sit 9-4-1 and lead the Atlantic Division. The goal differential is +18, with 50 goals for and 32 against.
That's not a team in desperation mode. It's a team looking at the market from a position of strength.
Why Edvinsson is a complicated target for Boston
Edvinsson is the more intriguing name, and also the more complicated one. The 23-year-old defenseman has not played a game this season.
He's listed on injured reserve for a contract dispute, out indefinitely. That detail changes how any conversation around him works.
Detroit drafted him sixth overall in 2021. Over 175 career games, he has 19 goals and 60 points, with a +17 rating.
A 6'6, 220-pound defenseman with that résumé, still only 23, is the kind of asset Detroit wouldn't move casually. Whether this dispute changes the Red Wings' view is an open question.
Larkin, meanwhile, is a different case. The 30-year-old center has 6 points in 10 games this season, including 2 goals, and a +3 rating.
He's listed as day-to-day for a reason not related to injury, and is expected to be out until at least Oct. 31. That isn't a small detail with Detroit hosting St. Louis on Saturday.
Here's what NHL Rumour Report posted after quoting Friedman:
The Red Wings are 6-4-3 and sit 8th in the Atlantic Division. That leaves Detroit stuck in the middle, and it makes both players worth watching.
Boston plays Chicago on Saturday. Don Sweeney will have to decide whether a defenseman in a contract dispute is worth the chase.
