Capitals ship Edmundson to Maple Leafs

The Washington Capitals traded defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder, the clubs announced Thursday.

The third-round selection originally belonged to the New York Islanders, and the Leafs initially got the fifth-round choice from the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Capitals are retaining 50% of Edmundson's salary, or $875,000. He's a pending unrestricted free agent whose previous cap hit was $1.75 million, according to CapFriendly. That figure was originally $3.5 million, but the Montreal Canadiens retained 50% of that when they traded him to Washington for a pair of picks last July.

The 30-year-old had a 10-team no-trade list.

The Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning were also reportedly interested in Edmundson.

He helped the St. Louis Blues defeat the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup in 2018-19. The 6-foot-5, 221-pound rearguard, who shoots left, was playing on the Capitals' third pairing. He's in his ninth NHL season.