Maple Leafs join NHL trade deadline movement by acquiring Joel Edmundson from the Capitals

Joel Edmundson

The Toronto Maple Leafs joined the NHL trade deadline party by acquiring defenseman Joel Edmundson from the Washington Capitals.

Toronto sent a third-round pick in this year’s draft, originally the New York Islanders’ selection, and a 2025 fifth to Washington for the rugged defender. Edmundson gives the team some needed toughness on the blue line, even as a left shot.

The Capitals are retaining half of what’s left of Edmundson’s salary after Montreal already has 50% from a trade last offseason. That makes the him quite the bargain for the Leafs at a cap hit of $875,000, just above the league minimum.

Edmundson, 30, helped the St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019 and is a pending free agent. He has skated over 16 minutes a game this season with Washington.

Earlier in the week, Edmundson seemed content with the possibility of being traded to a contender, though his focus at the time was on helping the Capitals.

“Everyone wants to win,” he said. “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 for Edmundson comes after a flurry of moves by the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers.