The Toronto Maple Leafs and pending UFA defenceman Joel Edmundson have “mutual interest” in getting a contract extension done, The Athletic‘s Pierre LeBrun reported on Monday.
LeBrun wrote about a number of Leafs-related topics in his draft combine notebook, including what Mitch Marner’s future might hold and whether the club might look to extend its relationship with captain John Tavares.
One of the most interesting tidbits concerned Edmundson, who joined the Leafs from the Washington Capitals ahead of the 2024 trade deadline in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
The Leafs have decisions to make on five pending UFA defenders this summer, but LeBrun noted that Edmundson would be more than comfortable reuniting with Craig Berube, his former Blues coach, in Toronto.
There was no meeting scheduled between Ferris and Leafs GM Brad Treliving here this week, although one assumes they will run into each other. It’s a fishbowl environment here with NHL people all in the same place.
Ferris is also the agent for pending UFA defenseman Joel Edmundson, and my understanding is there’s mutual interest from the team and the player in getting an extension done. Edmundson enjoyed playing for new Leafs coach Craig Berube with the St. Louis Blues, winning a Cup together in 2019, and that’s a factor to be sure.
But the Leafs are juggling a lot, roster-wise. So it’s no slam dunk that a deal with Edmundson gets done.
Edmundson, 30, racked up six points (one goal, five assists) while averaging 16:40 of ice time over 53 games with the Capitals and Leafs during the 2023-24 regular season. The 6’5″ lefty added one assist while logging 18:40 per night during the Leafs’ Round 1 loss to the Boston Bruins in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Blues originally selected Edmundson in the second round (No. 46 overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. The Brandon, Manitoba product has appeared in 530 career NHL games over parts of nine seasons with St. Louis, Carolina, Montreal, Washington, and Toronto, reaching the Stanley Cup Final twice and winning with the Blues in 2019.
In addition to Edmundson, the Leafs have Ilya Lyubushkin, TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano, and John Klingberg heading for the UFA market this summer. They also have decisions to make on pending UFA forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, as well as goaltenders Ilya Samsonov, Martin Jones, and Matt Murray.
