"I love to use the stick to my defense with some cross checks and make the opposition's night miserable," new Capitals defenseman Edmundson said.
ARLINGTON, V.A. -- After being traded to the Washington Capitals, Joel Edmunson's phone blew up with texts from his future teammates, including good friend Trevor van Riemsdyk and past Worlds roommate Darcy Kuemper. However, one new teammate in particular stood out: T.J. Oshie, who had quite the welcome message for Edmundson.
"He's like, 'You're coming into a good situation. We're gonna be healthy and we're hungry,' and that got me excited," Edmundson said.
The 30-year-old had expected a trade for some time. He'd seen his name popping up on Twitter and emerging on trade boards, and Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes had pulled him into his office to keep him in the loop and explain that when the time and price were right, he would be on the move.
Ultimately, that came on July 1, and when Edmundson heard the landing spot, he was thrilled.
"I just want to be a good guy in that locker room," Edmundson said. "I hear they have a fun group in there, so I just want to go in there and be a leader in my own type of way."
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Edmundson is the seventh defenseman under contract in D.C. General manager Brian MacLellan wanted to add another d-man to the mix with Matt Irwin signing with the Vancouver Canucks, and he believes Edmundson is the type of player who can take on a number of roles and provide versatility on the backend.
For the 6-foot-5, 221-pound blueliner, that's exactly what he wants to bring to the table: versatility and adaptability, no matter where that is in the lineup.
"It doesn't matter if I'm first, second or third pair; I just want to be a guy that's reliable," he said simply.
His biggest asset is his physicality and shutdown game, especially in front of the net. It will make a major difference for the Capitals, who had some trouble clearing the crease and let several chances trickle through traffic.
"I think that's the strong point to my game. Just being solid in front of the goalie and just making sure he can see the puck," Edmundson said. "I love to use the stick to my defense with some cross-checks and make the opposition's night miserable. I think that's what got me to this point in my career."
Edmundson has started to skate and is using the long summer to remain healthy and on top of his game. He dealt with some injuries and back issues last season, but he emphasized that that was all in the rearview.
"Feeling good. I've been in the gym for about two months now... Body's feeling really good. This summer, I just want to have a full healthy summer of training and coming to camp strong," he explained. "The last two seasons - I got injured right before camp so I think that just put me behind the eight ball right away, and I got my season off to a slow start while everyone was already buzzing. So just looking forward to a healthy start to the season and help the team win."
Looking at Washington, Edmundson sees plenty of potential as the team looks to return to the playoffs after missing out last season for the first time in nine years.
"I think we can surprise a lot of teams this year, obviously, we got some good leaders in the dressing room and the young guys, they can play, too. So I think it's a good combination," he explained.
And, when it comes to the role he'll play in that on the team's blue line, which features three 23-year-olds on the left side, Edmundson was quick to answer.
"I wanna be a guy that they can lean on," he said simply. "I've been in the league going into my ninth year now so I've seen a lot, I've had a lot of teammates and I've had a lot of good mentors in my career so I just want to be that guy for those guys."