Joel Edmundson Loves Getting Under His Opponents' Skin. Now It's Time To Bring That To The Capitals — And It's Just What They Need

The Capitals blueliner missed the first part of the season with a broken hand.

WASHINGTON — Joel Edmundson loves being the guy that gets under your skin. It's what helped him rise to prominence in the NHL over the course of his eight-year career, and on Saturday, he'll finally get to show the Washington Capitals exactly what he can do as he makes his long-awaited season debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Edmundson had broken his hand in a non-game scrimmage in training camp, leading him to miss the first chunk of the year. Now, he's ready to return, and Washington can hardly wait, because he's a big piece of what they're missing: physicality.

The 6-foot-5, 221-pound blueliner was acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens to kick off free agency, with the Capitals seeking some more depth on defence and a physical presence to fill the void left by a trade-deadline sell-off earlier in the season. While he was expecting to be moved, the trade did, admittedly, take Edmundson by surprise.

After the surprise wore off, the excitement kicked in. After years of having to face off against and shut down Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and more, Edmundson would get to be on their side for the change, and that alone was a relief.

"Just wasn't expecting it to be that day. So, a little shocked, but then once it hit, I looked at the roster. I knew a few guys on the roster," Edmundson told The Hockey News. "So a bunch of guys reached out to me, and just know one of a few guys definitely made it an easy transition. The leaders in this dressing room, it's one of the best in the whole league, so I was excited to come into the locker room and try to help the team out."

The feeling is mutual for his teammates.

"Eddy. We played a little bit together in St. Louis... he's a tough guy to play against," T.J. Oshie said, adding, "You feel whatever flex he has come down on you. You think twice when you get in a net-front battle with him."

"I actually really like his game. I went up against him all day in [training camp] practice, and he turns really well for a big guy. He can close quick, take away time and speed," Tom Wilson added, noting that the most prominent part of his game is his stick. "You know, I was joking with him, 'There's not many guys that use a 120 flex stick and put it right in the ribcage anymore...' I was familiar with that stick from playing against him over the years. He knows exactly where to put it. He's got some old-school to his game."

Edmundson's always been that kind of player, and it all stems from sibling rivalry. The Manitoba native, dubbed "Steady Eddy" by his teammates over the years, credits his physical, hard-nosed game to his older brother and hours of street hockey.

"I just kind of grew up with it. I grew up with an older brother, so we were always fighting, battling our whole lives, and we're just both so competitive. Every street hockey game, we're getting into fights or whatever, and then throughout my career, I just kept doing that and then when I played in the WHL, fighting was what got me noticed by the scouts," Edmundson explained. "It does have a place in hockey and I've been trying to carry that throughout my career. So if it's just a little cross-check here, there, just to kind of get under their skin, I'll do it."

For Washington, that's just what the doctor ordered. The Capitals could use some more physicality, as they've managed the fifth-least hits in the league this year (206) and average just 16.14 per game. They also take just as many hits (200) as they've dulled out.

Enter Edmundson, who has racked up 920 hits over 447 NHL games and is ready to do whatever it takes to make his opponents' nights, as he puts it nicely: "miserable."

"I just want to be a stable defenseman. I'm not flashy at all; I just want to make it hard on opposing teams forwards, try to piss them off, play a hard game and try to help our goalie," Edmundson said. "Maybe chip in offensively here and there, but that's not my game. I just wanna be that rock back there."

The 30-year-old has been paired with Trevor van Riemsdyk, who he played with back in Carolina, and the two are expected to be a strong shutdown pairing that can keep the puck out of harm's way. Both will be back in the mix on Saturday, with van Riemsdyk also returning from his own injury.

Beyond the physicality, though, Edmundson is committed to the veteran group and helping fill a leadership role while being a well-liked locker-room presence.

"I think after I was able to win the Stanley Cup in 2019 and just getting that confidence under me and going to Montreal and being one of the older guys in Montreal, that leadership role kind of fell in my lap, and it was nice to get that experience in Montreal," Edmundson said. "It's kind of weird coming in here and not being an older guy, it feels nice. I definitely want to be a leader in my own way."

Now recovered from hand surgery and ready to take the ice for his first game since April, it's up to No. 6 to show D.C. what he can do.