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Joel Edmundson: from back pain to a four-year contract
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In the last few hours, the Maple Leafs have offered crazy contracts to Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

But at least, seeing what their former defenseman Joel Edmundson got in Los Angeles, they had the good sense not to overbid on him.

Because yes, the Kings gave him a four-year contract valued at $3.85M per year. Hey boy.

In 2020, Marc Bergevin gave the Hurricanes a choice to negotiate with him. He then gave him a four-year contract valued at $3.5 million per season to help his blue line.

Now Edmundson is four years older and has a bigger contract. That’s something.

The ceiling has gone up, he’s still a good defenseman and in the playoffs, he’s important… but for the past three years, you never know when his back is going to give out on him for good.

And now the Kings are offering him four years? Let’s find out.

We wondered if he’d manage to get more than a year on his contract, and now the Kings have offered him a veritable golden bridge to the next level. The club might regret it in two years’ time.

Even if he’s not the GM in Los Angeles, this idea screams Marc Bergevin.

I imagine the Kings are thinking in the short term that Edmundson is the kind of guy who will be good for the dressing room and help the club beat the Oilers in the playoffs.

That’s true… if his back holds out. And that’s no guarantee.

There’s a risk that the Kings, with ideas like these, will close their window of opportunity very quickly. After all, if Edmundson is forced to slow down because of his back, it’s going to hurt the club.

It’s not a risk I would have taken.


Overtime

– 4 years for Duclair in New York. He’s off to join Patrick Roy.

– Flames add experience.

– More reinforcements in Nashville.

– Nice contract.

– To be continued.

– The defender.

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