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Capitals acquire defenseman Joel Edmundson from Montreal Canadiens for two draft picks

By Chris Cerullo

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July 1, 2023 12:18 pm

The Washington Capitals have added to their defense corps through trade on the opening day of NHL free agency. Left-handed defenseman Joel Edmundson is arriving from Montreal in exchange for a 2024 third round draft pick and a 2024 seventh round draft pick.

The Canadiens will be retaining 50-percent of Edmundson’s $3.5 million salary.

Edmundson’s acquisition now gives the Caps six defensemen under contract on their NHL roster with Martin Fehervary still due a new deal. Edmundson plays on the left side which could indicate that Alex Alexeyev will be used as the team’s seventh defender.

Edmundson has played the last three seasons in Montreal after starting his career with the St. Louis Blues. Over the past couple years he has been hampered by recurring back issues that have kept him out of the lineup for extended periods of time. He has played just 85 games in the last two seasons combined.

When he has played, he has been a mean, physical presence for the Habs but there is little more to his game past that.

Edmundson, statistically, was one of the worst players on a very bad Canadiens team last season. With him on the ice at five-on-five, they saw just 41.7 percent of the shot attempts, 40.6 percent of the expected goals, 39.7 percent of the scoring chances, and 41.9 percent of the high-danger chances. They were also out-scored 71 to 36.

The 30-year-old blueliner is signed through the 2023-24 campaign. He has a modified no-trade clause that allows him to submit a 10-team, no-trade list.

Here’s the Capitals’ release on the trade:

Capitals Acquire Joel Edmundson from Montreal Canadiens

The Washington Capitals have acquired defenseman Joel Edmundson from the Montreal Canadiens for a third-round pick (originally acquired from Minnesota) and seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. Montreal will retain 50% of Edmundson’s contract.

Edmundson, 30, recorded 13 points (2g, 11a) in 61 games with the Canadiens during the 2022-23 season. The Brandon, Manitoba native ranked second among Montreal defensemen in hits (112) and blocked shots (149) last season, as well as fourth in ice time per game (19:34). In addition, Edmundson averaged 3:19 of shorthanded ice time per game, which ranked second in the NHL among defensemen.

The 6’5″, 221-pound defensemanhas recorded 104 points (28g, 76a) in 477 career games with Montreal, the Carolina Hurricanes and the St. Louis Blues. Edmundson, who was originally drafted by St. Louis in the second round (46th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft, was a member of the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup championship team, appearing in 22 of the team’s 26 playoff contests.

Screenshot via Montreal Canadiens

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