The Washington Capitals have lost five games in a row and are quickly falling out of playoff contention right before the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline. The Capitals have a handful of players on their roster scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this upcoming offseason and the trade rumors have started flying in.
The latest player to have his name slapped on the hot stove is veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson. According to The Fourth Period’s latest “Top 25 Trade Watch List”, Edmundson is on several teams’ radars as a potential rental addition before the 2024 postseason.
Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman also included Edmundson as a name the Capitals are looking to move in the latest edition of his 32 Thoughts column.
Edmundson was acquired by the Capitals in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens this past summer. The Capitals sent a third-round draft pick and a seventh-round draft pick to Montreal to get Edmundson in on a 50-percent retained salary. The team could look to recoup some of those draft losses by moving Edmundson at the deadline.
The Fourth Period has the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and the Toronto Maple Leafs as the three Cup-contending teams linked with potentially acquiring the 30-year-old blueliner. After missing the first portion of the season due to fracturing his hand during Training Camp, the rugged rearguard has gotten into 32 games for the Capitals and recorded three points (1g, 2a).
Edmundson is skating on average 16:08 of ice time per game with 1:16 of that coming on the penalty kill. He has a ton of valuable postseason experience, playing 22 playoff games with the St. Louis Blues during their successful run to the Cup in 2019 and then another 22 playoff games with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021 when they made it to the Cup Final. Overall, he has 75 total games of postseason experience with the Blues, Canadiens, and Carolina Hurricanes.
After the Habs ate half of Edmundson’s $3.5 million salary, he could be an attractive option for a cash-strapped team. The Capitals could even retain more of his salary for the rest of the year in any potential deal. His contract does hold a modified no-trade clause where he can submit 10 teams he can block a trade to.
The other soon-to-be UFAs on the Capitals’ roster include Anthony Mantha, Max Pacioretty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Pacioretty holds a full no-movement clause so he would have to sign off on any move.
