Simon Edvinsson says he has spent his season working on the defensive side of his game. Now he has a chance to prove it.

Eager for a spark in their quest for a playoff berth, the Detroit Red Wings added the 6-foot-6 defender to their lineup on Tuesday. Edvinsson, 21, has spent the majority of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, posting 27 points in 52 games, sent there out of training camp to work on reducing the risk in his game.

"I feel d-zone, especially, I feel like that is where my growth has been from last year," Edvinsson said after the morning skate at Little Caesars Arena. "To get this opportunity now, I'm happy for it and I'll take it and do my best to help the team to win.

"The compete has been big for me. I feel like I develop a compete on the ice that I didn't have before."

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Coach Derek Lalonde said the plan is to give Edvinsson top-four minutes, and that he would start out partnered with veteran Jeff Petry. Edvinsson played nine games last spring, posting two assists, but it's the ability to manage risky plays that will keep him around.

"Eliminate the mistakes," Lalonde said. "As good as he has looked up here, he has been prone to some big mistakes that have given up some easy offense.

"We'll get Simon in the flow of the game and see how he handles it."

Petry and Edvinsson played together during the exhibition season.

"We know each other, so I know what I am walking into and he knows what he is walking into," Edvinsson said. "I'm going to to go out there and he's going to help me along the way to have fun. It's going to be fun.

"I feel like we clicked pretty good. We had good chemistry. Hopefully we are going to build on that now."

Petry said that, "it's nice to have played with him throughout training camp. He's a big frame, he skates well, and I think that is going to help defensively. He has the skill set to help out the offense.

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"For me, it's just making sure that we're communicating, making sure we're talking while we're on the ice, and when we get back to the bench, making sure we are on the same page."

The Wings remain without Dylan Larkin, whose return from a lower-body injury suffered March 2 isn't likely until the weekend. During his absence, they endured a seven-game losing streak that erased the leeway they had banked for a playoff berth and left them in a tight battle with a handful of teams.

With Jake Walman day-to-day with a lower-body injury, there's an opening for Edvinsson to make a case to stick around.

"We are hunting for a playoff spot and it's more pressure, of course, but that is why you play hockey," Edvinsson said. "I'm just happy to be here now."

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings D Simon Edvinsson's key to sticking around: Defense