The Montreal Canadiens are trading defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Washington Capitals for third- and seventh-round selections in the 2024 draft, the teams announced.
The Habs are retaining 50% of Edmundson's $3.5-million cap hit, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. He has one year remaining on his deal.
Edmundson, 30, recorded 13 points, 112 hits, and 149 blocks in 61 games last season while averaging 19:34 of ice time per contest. He's 6-foot-5 and extremely physical.
The Capitals' blue line is deep on the right side with John Carlson, Nick Jensen, and Trevor van Riemsdyk. However, the left side lacks experience, with only Rasmus Sandin, Martin Fehervary, and Alexander Alexeyev in the fold. Edmundson, a 2019 Stanley Cup winner with the St. Lous Blues, brings championship pedigree and 477 games of NHL experience.
The Canadiens have several options on the left side of their blue line, including Mike Matheson, Jordan Harris, Kaiden Guhle, and Arber Xhekaj.
