While the buyers in the Western Conference have been aggressively buying up talent the past two days, on Thursday the Toronto Maple Leafs got active on the trade market in a somewhat quieter way.
Toronto picked up Joel Edmundson from Washington, a massive, 6-foot-5, 221 pounds to bring physicality and defensive stability to the back end for their upcoming playoff run. Edmundson's isn't the right-handed shot Toronto still seeks, but he is a Stanley Cup champion who's been to the final twice in a nine-year career.
Edmundson was traded from Montreal to Washington last summer for third- and seventh-round picks, but as the Capitals' playoff chances fade and they eye more prospects and draft picks, Washington GM Brian MacLellan was able to get a 2024 third-rounder and 2025 fifth-rounder from Brad Treliving. The Capitals also retained 50 per cent of Edmundson's expiring contract, so he'll only count for $875,000 against Toronto's cap.
Is this it for the Maple Leafs? With just $369,000 of cap space left, surely any further trades would involve someone going out, but there is still an obvious need for a right-handed blue liner. With Friday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline approaching, Treliving's time is running short as other Eastern contenders seek out their own moves.
For more on what type of defenceman Edmundson is, and what he'll bring to Toronto, we turn to our scout Jason Bukala.
SCOUT'S ANALYSIS
I understand why the Leafs acquired Edmundson. He’s a trustworthy, predictable, veteran defenceman who plays the game the same way every night.
Edmundson isn’t the same version of his younger self, but he’s a big body who uses his long reach and sheer stature to his advantage defensively. He’s best described as an average skater at this stage of his career. He can’t afford to get caught too far up ice, or outside the dots in the defensive zone too often without being exposed.
The Leafs acquired a player who will match up against middle-six opponents. All of his ice time will come at even strength and the penalty kill.
Here’s my latest scouting report on Edmundson from earlier this week:
To give you an idea of the subtleties in Edmundson's defensive game I'll highlight two clips that show the small (important) details he will add to the Leafs:
In the first clip, Edmundson fronts the shooter on the penalty kill and then collapses to the net to assist with clearing the play out of a danger area. Most importantly, he uses his long reach to extend the puck up the wall, leading to a zone exit.
It’s a “big body” sequence. A smaller player would have been forced to engage physically along the wall instead of chipping the puck up the boards.
The second clip provides a glimpse into Edmundson’s read, react and shot blocking game.
Turnovers happen. The game moves fast and things are never perfect for a full 60 minutes. In this sequence, Edmundson is about to head to the bench for a line change, but the puck is turned over. He has to react quickly to front his opponent and get in the shooting lane. His large frame, again, makes a difference. He blocks the shot on goal and takes away a scoring chance.
