Canadiens’ Edmundson should generate plenty of interest before trade deadline

BROSSARD, Que. — You may see why he’d be an interesting participant, and why everybody we spoke to in Edmonton final week had his title on the tip of their tongue.

At six-foot-five, 221 kilos, in possession of a Stanley Cup ring, a powerful playoff resume and quite a lot of nastiness to go together with that dimension, it’s important to assume Montreal Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson is a participant the Oilers would like to get their arms on between now and the and March 3 commerce deadline. That he’s signed for yet another season — and for a digestible $3.5-million wage — may make him that rather more attractive to common supervisor Ken Holland, who has repeated on a number of events he’s not a fan of giving up premium property for a rental.

Talking with our reporter mates in Edmonton, not solely may they see the match, however in addition they have a deep understanding of the necessity. Our good friend Mark Spector isn’t the one one to have penned columns by way of the Connor McDavid period in regards to the lack of defencemen bringing Edmundson’s model to the blue line, and everybody else working in that market can see the void that’s been left since Adam Larsson went to the Seattle Kraken within the 2021 enlargement draft.

We noticed it stay final Saturday, when the Oilers have been defensively porous at 5-on-5 in a sport they received as a result of the Canadiens gave them a number of 5-on-3 alternatives with a rash of second-period penalties.

Administration needed to be watching the identical factor and questioning, “What if?”

If it have been so simple as simply giving up a excessive choose, or a top quality prospect, the Oilers might need already tried to leap the market to get Edmundson with a view to assist suppress the probabilities they recurrently hand over.

.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}

However a staff as tight up towards the cap as Edmonton would need Montreal to retain wage within the deal, no matter how affordable Edmundson’s contract is, and the Canadiens received’t have an curiosity in doing that.

We suspect they’d be prepared to take a contract again, however that might improve what they ask for in return for buying and selling Edmundson.

What we all know for certain is the Canadiens are greater than prepared to hear on the participant. They know buying and selling Edmundson may also help them proceed to reshape their roster as they construct in the direction of icing a staff that may win on a sustainable foundation, they usually’ll negotiate with groups to do what makes probably the most sense for them in that goal.

There will probably be a market that extends past Edmonton for Edmundson’s providers, particularly understanding simply how a lot the alternate captain of the Canadiens brings each on and off the ice.

“He’s a frontrunner right here. He actually is,” mentioned goaltender Jake Allen, who received the Cup with Edmundson for the St. Louis Blues in 2019. “I’ve seen him develop into one. I’ve seen him since his first yr professional. We missed a few years collectively, however now we’re again collectively, and (I’ve seen) simply how a lot he’s grown as an individual. His hockey play, he’s gotten higher, but it surely hasn’t modified as a lot as his management off the ice. Plenty of guys look as much as him on this staff. He’s a giant presence on the ice, however off the ice he’s an enormous piece of glue for this staff.”

NHL on Sportsnet NOW

Get NHL LIVE included with a subscription to SN NOW PREMIUM and stream over 1,000 video games blackout-free, plus the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

CHOOSE PLAN

.acf-block-preview .br-snippet {
show: grid;
grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr;
hole: 20px;
width: 100%;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 16px;
border: 1px strong #CECECE;
background-color: #FFF;
border-radius: 4px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-title {
coloration: #343434;
font-family: ‘roboto’;
font-size: 20px;
font-weight: 600;
line-height: 22px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
high: -3px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-body {
coloration: #343434;
font-family: ‘urw-din’;
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 20px;
margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-link-title {
show: inline-block;
font-family: ‘urw-din’;
font-size: 16px;
list-style-type: none;
width: auto;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-link-title:not(:last-child):after ‘;
coloration: #343434;

Contemplating Allen additionally mentioned, on Thursday, that the most important signal of development he’s seen from the younger Canadiens this season is how they’ve meshed collectively, there’s no underselling these qualities Edmundson possesses.

Nonetheless, his worth will principally be primarily based on what he can do on the ice.

“He’s a presence on the ice,” mentioned Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “He’s simply calm and form of regular. The simplicity of his sport, too, I feel it helps our group as a result of I really feel, at instances, we’re enjoying a posh sport however there’s some simplicity in Eddy that calms issues down, particularly after we want a defensive shift or a blocked shot or a puck to get out. And he can nonetheless play his sport inside our complexity.”

St. Louis introduced up this play from Tuesday’s 4-2 win in Seattle for instance that Edmundson thinks the sport nicely and has extra of an offensive dimension than he’s given credit score for.

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-833151” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).knowledge(‘permalink’);

/*
if ( “1” == true && ‘undefined’ !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) {
var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}};
adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( ‘http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/adverts?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6316715820112&cmsid=384’, so, permalink);
} else {
adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/adverts?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6316715820112&cmsid=384”;
}
*/
adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/adverts?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6316715820112&cmsid=384”;
var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.contains(“cust_params”);
var queryString=”;
if(adServerUrl_result){
var gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem(“theRED_loc”)

if(gettheDUFI){
queryString += “dufiid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
queryString += “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
var ppid = “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
}

var DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem(“DUFI_IP”)

if(DUFI_IP){
queryString += “dufiip=” + DUFI_IP + ‘&’;
}

adServerUrl = adServerUrl.exchange(/cust_params=/, ppid + ‘cust_params=” + encodeURIComponent(queryString) );
}

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (doc.location.protocol == “https:” ? “https://sb” : “http://b”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3Epercent3C/scriptpercent3E”) );

$( doc ).one( “prepared’, perform() {
$( “#video_container-833151” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: true,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6316715820112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
adserverurl: adServerUrl,
part: “”,
thumbnail: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/6316715820112-1024×576.jpg”,
direct_url: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/nhl-highlights-canadiens-4-kraken-2/”
});
});

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-638413” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).knowledge(‘permalink’);

if(gettheDUFI){
queryString += “dufiid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
queryString += “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
var ppid = “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
}

var DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem(“DUFI_IP”)

if(DUFI_IP){
queryString += “dufiip=” + DUFI_IP + ‘&’;
}

adServerUrl = adServerUrl.exchange(/cust_params=/, ppid + ‘cust_params=” + encodeURIComponent(queryString) );
}

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (doc.location.protocol == “https:” ? “https://sb” : “http://b”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3Epercent3C/scriptpercent3E”) );

$( doc ).one( “prepared’, perform() {
$( “#video_container-638413” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: false,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6316715820112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
adserverurl: adServerUrl,
part: “”,
thumbnail: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/6316715820112-1024×576.jpg”,
direct_url: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/nhl-highlights-canadiens-4-kraken-2/”
});
});

.acf-block-preview .br-video-thumbnail::earlier than {
content material: “”;
place: absolute;
high: 45%;
left: 50%;
rework: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-moz-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-ms-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-o-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-webkit-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
width: 20px;
top: 0px;
border-top: 14px strong clear;
border-left: 22px strong #fff;
border-bottom: 14px strong clear;
margin-left: 3px;
}

That he learn a foul line change from the Kraken, jumped into the push because the final man again for the Canadiens, and made a finesse play to set Rem Pitlick up for his first objective of the season speaks to that — rather more than the one-goal, two-assist stat line by way of 16 video games this season does.

Edmundson solely enjoying that a lot as a result of he damage his again for a second consecutive coaching camp will naturally be a trigger for concern for any staff giving up what it’ll take to pry him out of Montreal.

It’s taken the 29-year-old time to catch this transferring prepare, and the inexperience of the Canadiens’ different defencemen he’s been paired with hasn’t given him the perfect alternative to play as reliably as he did when he was with Jeff Petry by way of the staff’s run to the 2021 Closing, and people are different elements that will probably be thought-about.

However they may probably be mitigated if Edmundson stays wholesome and his sport continues to pattern upwards as we method the deadline. Playoff groups know the worth of a majority of these gamers — the Florida Panthers gave the Canadiens a first-round choose, a fourth-round choose and a prospect for six-foot-three, 234-pound defenceman Ben Chiarot, and he was a rental — and at all times have curiosity in including them.

It’s why, as we journey by way of totally different NHL cities the Canadiens are scheduled to play in over the approaching weeks, we count on to listen to Edmundson’s title come up much more.