Edmundson traded to Maple Leafs by Capitals

Joel Edmundson was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs by the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Washington received a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Capitals will retain 50 percent of Edmundson’s salary.

Edmundson is in the final season of a four-year contract he signed with the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 16, 2020, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

The 30-year-old defenseman has six points (one goal, five assists) in 44 games this season.

“Found out after our meeting. So hate losing a guy like ‘Eddy’. Really well liked in the locker room,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Thursday in Pittsburgh. “Plays hard, did a great job for us this year. Just echoing, I’m sure, the guys saying goodbye to him and wish him the best and good luck in Toronto. Appreciate everything he did for us.”

Selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round (No. 46) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Edmundson has 110 points (29 goals, 81 assists) in 521 regular-season games and 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 75 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Edmundson won the Cup with the Blues in 2019, and was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes by St. Louis, to Montreal by Carolina and Washington by Montreal on July 1 for a third- and seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Maple Leafs (36-18-8) are third in the Atlantic Division, seven points behind the Boston Bruins, who they visit on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NESN, TSN4).

The Capitals (28-23-9), who are seven points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild card into the playoffs from the East, visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MNMT).

They traded forward Anthony Mantha Mantha to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.

“For me, it’s just another example of adversity, whether that’s through, in your career, whether you’re a young player going through these things, you’ll get better at managing these situations and being able to focus and figure out how to get your game in a good spot for tonight at 7 o’clock. That’s what it’s about,” Carbery said.

NHL.com independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report