Coming into the offseason, it was always unlikely that the Carolina Hurricanes would keep any of their unrestricted free agent defensemen.
Today, it’s even less likely, as general manager Don Waddell announced the team has traded the negotiating rights to UFA defender Joel Edmundson to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round draft pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Of the Canes’ three unrestricted blue liners, Edmundson was the one it made the sense to try to re-sign, given his solid season and physical play. In his one season in Carolina, Edmundson tied a career high with seven goals and set a career high with 20 points to go with 118 hits and 91 blocked shots.