Joel Edmundson
Joel Edmundson was on the trade block most of last season, but when he was hurt midseason a trade failed to materialize. He is a big, rugged defender that many teams would love to have in their lineup in the postseason.
As we have seen with the Vegas Golden Knights this spring, a gang of large, physical defensemen get the job done in the playoffs. The NHL is a copycat league and general managers will be looking at the hulking blueliners in Vegas and hoping to add a few of their own this offseason.
Edmundson is 6’5″ and 221 pounds and won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. Experience, leadership and grit go a long way in general manager circles and there will be teams looking to deal for Edmundson at the NHL Draft. He is entering the final year of his contract with a $3.5 million cap hit and the Canadiens could easily retain 50% of that to make a trade much simpler for the acquiring team.
The biggest reason to trade Edmundson is to make room for younger players. Just on the left side of the blue line alone, the Canadiens have Michael Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj in addition to Edmundson. It’s crowded and there needs to be more room for these young players to play every night and develop their game.
If healthy, trading Edmundson should be able to fetch a return like Ben Chiarot did which was a late first round pick,a fourth round pick and a B-level prospect which was Ty Smilanic. Edmundson finished the season healthy, but there are questions about his back so the Habs should be able to deal him for a late first or a second round pick.