Potential Boston Bruins Free Agent Target: Joel Edmundson
joel-edmundson
With NHL Free Agency opening on July 1, the Boston Bruins will have decisions to make on both their expiring contracts as well as players leaving other teams that they could make a run for on the open market.
Earlier this month, we ranked the top 10 most important Boston Bruins free agents, consisting of the players with expiring contracts and their relative value to the team.
This time, we’ll be covering 10 free agents from other teams that could be attractive to Boston. These are not ranked in any particular order, but it will ultimately focus on the Bruins’ biggest needs: a top-six forward (or two) and a left-shot defenseman. Backup goalie was also a potential need, but after the Bruins traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators on Monday, Joonas Korpisalo -- one of the returning pieces -- is poised to compete with Brandon Bussi for the job.
There will be a new name covered every day leading up to the start of free agency.
Previously, we looked at forwards Elias Lindholm, Tyler Bertuzzi, Tyler Toffoli, Vladimir Tarasenko and Chandler Stephenson, as well as defensemen Brenden Dillon and Shayne Gostisbehere. Today, we look at another defenseman:
Joel Edmundson, Defenseman
Age: 31
2023-24 team(s): Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs
2023-24 stats: 53 GP, 1G-5A-6P
Previous Contract AAV: $3.5 million
Expected New AAV (per AFPAnalytics): $1.69 million
If the Bruins trust Mason Lohrei to fully take on a top-four defenseman role, someone like Edmundson could be added for relatively cheap as experienced depth.
The only left-shot defensemen currently on the Bruins NHL roster are Hampus Lindholm, Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon. With the latter two coming off their first NHL season, another experienced option would serve Boston well.
Edmundson can play on either side and be used on the penalty kill. He also brings Stanley Cup experience, although not the kind that Bruins fans want to think about, winning with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
Boston faced Edmundson again in the 2024 playoffs when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto acquired Edmundson from the Washington Capitals ahead of the trade deadline in March, and he met the team in Boston as they were playing the Bruins at TD Garden. Obviously, he didn’t suit up that night, but he expressed excitement about potentially getting in on the action against Boston down the road.
As it would turn out, the two sides would engage in a heated seven-game series that saw Boston prevail with David Pastrnak’s overtime winner. Edmundson played in all seven games for Toronto during that series, and could add an element of toughness to the Bruins defense.
AFPAnalytics projects just a two-year, $3.38 million contract for Edmundson, so signing him in that range should be affordable for a Bruins team that will likely spend the bulk of its cap space on a forward or two.
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