In the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup: Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson prefers a trade, Aleksander Barkov’s injury resurrects speculation linking Red Wings center Dylan Larkin to the Panthers, and the latest Oilers speculation.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports that word is “around the league” that unsigned Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson would “prefer a trade.”

Edvinsson, 22, is a restricted free agent who returned to Sweden last week after failing to reach a new-contract agreement with the Red Wings.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson (NHL Images)

Friedman said the Red Wings and Edvinsson’s agents aren’t talking about this rumored trade request. The Wings have told other teams their priority is to sign the young blueliner, but his frustration about this situation has led him to prefer a trade.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The train wreck that is the Detroit Red Wings’ front office continues to crash downhill.

Edvinsson was patient and loyal to this franchise. He understood the club was seeking a new general manager, declined offer sheets from several teams, and took part in training camp drills with his teammates, staying hopeful that both sides would agree to a new contract before the season began.

Several weeks ago, I said on this site that the Red Wings risked bungling Edvinsson’s contract negotiation. And lo, it has come to pass: he’s thinking about a trade.

It could simply be the Edvinsson camp trying to pressure Wings management into meeting his asking price, though we don’t know what it is. However, it appears he’s lost patience about how this situation has unfolded.

So, the Red Wings remain without a full-time general manager as their search goes on; their former captain wants out, their fans chanted “Sell the team!” during their home opener, and now they’re about to push away their second-best defenseman.

The “Dead Things 2.0” era continues.

THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens reports that the possibility of Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov being sidelined for a while has renewed speculation about the Panthers acquiring center Dylan Larkin from the Detroit Red Wings.

Larkin, 30, requested a trade during the offseason. The Panthers were reportedly on his list of preferred destinations.

However, the Panthers are pressed against the salary cap and will only garner limited cap relief by placing Barkov on LTIR. That won’t leave enough to absorb Larkin’s $8.7 million average annual value unless Barkov is out for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Even if the Panthers could do enough creative math to make the salary cap dollars fit, they used up most of their trade capital acquiring Brady Tkachuk and Jacob Markstrom this summer.

The Red Wings insist they’re not rebuilding. They want a return for Larkin that will help them right now. During his Friday appearance on NHL Network, Friedman suggested Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen as a trade chip, but I doubt the Red Wings would accept him as the centerpiece of the deal. They’ll want Anton Lundell, whom the Panthers refused to send to the Ottawa Senators as part of the return for Tkachuk.

In other words, if the Panthers don’t offer Lundell for Larkin, the Red Wings won’t be interested.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reported the Edmonton Oilers have a lot of injuries to their defense and some among their forwards. They have explored a “lateral trade”, maybe a defenseman for a forward. Their injured forwards aren’t out long-term, so they’re not feeling pressured to do so, but if there is a lateral defense-for-forward depth move to be made, they could do it.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matthew Savoie, Jason Dickinson, and Mattias Janmark are the Oilers forwards who are currently sidelined. Alec Regula is the only injured defenseman, and he’s on LTIR.

They have eight defensemen, three (Jake Walman, Connor Murphy, and Mattias Ekholm) with no-movement clauses and Ryan Shea with no-trade protection. Evan Bouchard lacks no-trade protection, but the high-scoring blueliner obviously isn’t available. That leaves Shakir Mukhamadullin, Spencer Stastney, and Ty Emberson as potential trade candidates.