Should the Bruins pay a steep price for Simon Edvinsson?

The Bruins have already been linked to several intriguing trade targets this season, including Dylan Larkin and Kirill Marchenko.

​So it’s little surprise that Don Sweeney and the Bruins have been linked to another top talent who reportedly available in the Eastern Conference.

On Thursday evening, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that the Bruins are “among a long list of teams” showing interest in Detroit Red Wings defenseman and restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson.

Edvinsson, 23, has yet to sign a new contract with Detroit and is home in Sweden while awaiting some clarity on his future.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last weekend that Edvinsson would prefer a trade out of Detroit rather than trying to bridge the gap with the Red Wings on a new contract.

LeBrun noted in his report that the Red Wings and interim general manager Shawn Horcoff ideally want to keep Edvinsson, who they selected sixth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.

“But those teams are being told by interim GM Shawn Horcoff that his preference remains trying to re-sign the RFA,” LeBrun noted on X. “The longer this goes on, obviously a trade becomes possible. But Detroit still wants to sign him. Horcoff has full authority from ownership to get an extension done with Edvinsson, who has been offered, long-, mid- and short-term deals. There remains a sizeable gap on salary.”

It should come as little surprise that the Bruins — and many other teams — would be interested in a player like Edvinsson.​

The Swedish blueliner yet to enter his prime at 23, but he already projects as a top-four stalwart who can anchor a D corps in 2026 and beyond.

Adding a legitimate No. 2 D-man behind Charlie McAvoy on the depth chart might be Boston’s most pressing need moving forward, especially with an influx of young talent up front like Fraser Minten, James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, Will Zellers, and others.

Whether its stapling Edvinsson to a top pairing next to McAvoy or having him anchor his own pairing as a de facto replacement for a 32-year-old Hampus Lindholm, several teams would covet him —even if his next contract carries a hefty price tag.

Edvinsson is an imposing presence at 6-foot-6 and 222 pounds, but he also ranked in the 71st percentile of maximum skating speed last year, according to NHL Edge tracking data.

He appeared in 72 games for Detroit last season, averaging 22:21 of ice time while scoring nine goals and 25 points.​

In some respects, he projects as a player similar to Lindholm: a big, mobile defenseman who can log heavy minutes, move the puck, and generate 25-35 points a season.

Similar to Boston parting with a pair of first-round picks to pry 24-year-old JJ Peterka out of Utah, acquiring a player with Edvinsson’s profile and age would both boost this current Bruins roster and give the retooling core a new franchise pillar for the long haul.

But does Boston have the means — and the willingness — to entice Detroit to give up one of its top blueliners?​

The Bruins have several first-round picks they could part with, including a potential 2028 unprotected first from Toronto, along with prospects like Zellers and Cooper Simpson.

NHL assets like Pavel Zacha and Mason Lohrei could also be included in such a deal, though it’s unclear whether a team like the Red Wings would want a 29-year-old center due for a new contract like Zacha, especially if Detroit leans into a full-blown rebuild.

If Horcoff tries to retool a flawed roster on the fly, Zacha may hold a bit more value, as long as he inks a long-term deal with Detroit.

But if Boston wants to outbid other interested teams with heaps of young talent and blue-chip prospects like the Utah Mammoth or the San Jose Sharks, the Bruins might have to part with one of their top youngsters down the middle in Minten, Hagens, or Letourneau.

The Bruins would presumably balk at that price. Instead, they could use their first-round picks and other prospects to try to acquire another top-four defenseman, such as Vancouver’s Filip Hronek.

Now, if the Red Wings were to also offer up a legitimate top-line center in Larkin along with Edvinsson, that would seemingly shift Boston’s sentiment about keeping pivots like Minten, Hagens, and Letourneau off-limits.

But in a swap centered around only Edvinsson, the Bruins may not have much of an appetite to move some of their promising young centers.

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.