Maple Leafs Acquire Joel Edmundson in NHL Trade Deadline Deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a significant move in the NHL trade deadline by adding defenseman Joel Edmundson from the Washington Capitals.
To secure Edmundson, Toronto traded a third-round pick in the upcoming draft, originally owned by the New York Islanders, along with a 2025 fifth-round pick to Washington. The acquisition of Edmundson provides the Maple Leafs with much-needed physicality on the defensive end, despite him being a left-handed shot.
Interestingly, the Capitals will be covering half of Edmundson’s remaining salary, as Montreal is already responsible for 50% from a previous trade last year. This makes the acquisition of Edmundson a cost-effective move for the Leafs, as his cap hit stands at $875,000, slightly above the league minimum.
Aged 30, Edmundson played a pivotal role in the St. Louis Blues’ Stanley Cup triumph in 2019 and is currently a pending free agent. He has been averaging over 16 minutes of ice time per game with Washington this season.
Before the trade, Edmundson expressed his willingness to join a championship-contending team, although his primary focus was on assisting the Capitals in their campaign.
Regarding his desire to compete for a Stanley Cup, Edmundson stated, “Everyone wants to win. I want to win every year, so I think once you get that feeling once, you just want it to happen every year and when you see other teams win it, you just kind of get jealous and frustrated. So yeah, we all want to win it every year.”
The move to acquire Edmundson follows a series of trades made by various NHL teams like the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Edmonton Oilers in the recent days.