As the 2023 Free Agent Frenzy kicks off, this doesn’t mean that meaningful trades aren’t happening. After what feels like months of speculation, the Montreal Canadiens have traded defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Washington Capitals for a 2024 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick. The Canadiens will also be retaining 50 percent of Edmundson’s contract.
As a veteran defenseman on a relatively reasonable cap hit, it was believed that there would be a strong market for Edmundson heading into the 2023 Trade Deadline. With this in mind, it was a bit of a surprise that no deal ever materialized, so most assumed Montreal would make the move happen during the offseason.
It didn’t take long for this trade to happen, and while it is far from a blockbuster, it keeps up the trend of teams trying to fill out their roster by picking up current players who are on short-term contracts instead of splurging on the expensive free agent market.
So, with this deal official, let’s hand out some trade grades.
Capitals Gain Defensive Depth With Edmundson
The 2022-23 season was a significant letdown for the Capitals, who missed the postseason for the first time in nine seasons. However, the one positive of this miss was that the franchise was able to sell at the 2023 Trade Deadline, and they had a roster filled with players who drew immediate interest. Through all of this, they re-signed a few key defensemen, acquired a high-upside defender in Rasmus Sandin, and with the acquisition of Edmundson, have re-stocked their defensive core with solid talent.
It’s important to understand what Edmundson will bring to the Capitals before grading this move. He is not an offensively skilled defender. He is, however, a minute-muncher that will soak up three-plus minutes of ice time each night on the penalty kill. This isn’t sexy work, but it is important for a Wahington team that is looking to rebound and compete once again for the Stanley Cup. He’s also a perfect candidate to play alongside John Carlson, as his defensive game plan can allow him to focus more on scoring without hanging his team out to dry. This alone can make him very valuable to the franchise.
Plus, if things go poorly again for the Capitals and they are out of the playoff hunt at the 2024 Trade Deadline, they could flip Edmundson for more assets to recoup what they lost in this deal.
Related: 2023 NHL Free Agency Tracker
When you consider what players are going for on the free-agent market, this is a rather low-risk trade, especially with Montreal retaining half of Edmundson’s contract value. In all, this is a savvy move by the Capitals.
Grade: B+
Canadiens Get Minor Value From Edmundson Trade
It wasn’t that long ago when expectations for any trade involving Edmundson, especially one where the Canadiens retained half of his salary, was a first-round draft pick minimum. When he wasn’t dealt at the 2023 Trade Deadline, it felt like this was Montreal balking at any offer being below that lofty expectation, and waiting for the offseason when teams might see the free agent market and be willing to raise their bids.
However, that didn’t come to fruition, if it was ever the case. It’s possible that there was never a trade offer in the first-round pick range, and that was always just speculation and hearsay. If that’s the case, then getting a third and a seventh for the 2024 Draft is okay, but still not exciting. It feels like picks were more highly valued in 2023 due to the depth available, but there will always be great players available, even in the third round in 2024.
Overall, this return feels a bit underwhelming, but that might simply be due to expectations not matching reality. The Canadiens got a little bit of cap space and some future assets for a player with just one season left on his contract, but it’s also a case where they might have been able to get more at the 2024 Trade Deadline if that was an option.
So, not a bad trade, but just a move that’s not super exciting either.
Grade: C
