Carolina Hurricanes: Joel Edmundson Needs to Go
By Conor Power
Joel Edmundson came to the Carolina Hurricanes late in the offseason in a trade with the St. Louis Blues, but why is it time for him to move on?
The other night in Dallas was probably Joel Edmundson‘s worst game of the season with the Carolina Hurricanes. He got turned for a highlight reel goal, he had a horrible pinch, and a defensive lapse leading to 3 different goals. He was just flat out not good enough. You may think this is all coming off the back of one game, but I have been very disgruntled with Edmundson over the past few months.
First of all, from an analytical standpoint, his expected goals against is lower than anyone else on the team. That includes noted defensive ‘pylon’ Jake Gardiner. Edmundson’s expected goals for, corsi for, and corsi against are also horrific, and there’s genuine concern that they don’t recover. Even in his St. Louis days, his analytics were bad. I’m not saying they’re the end all be all, but they’re a good indicator of a player.
Why else does Joel Edmundson need to go? With the addition of Brady Skjei at the 2020 NHL trade deadline, we have a big body who’s younger, and physical who can do what Edmundson does. Skjei is also better in control of the puck, and this just makes Joel Edmundson expendable. No longer is the role Joel Edmundson fills a requirement for him if he cannot contribute on the ice.
Edmundson needs to come out of the line up when the newly acquired Sami Vatanen is back, or when Dougie Hamilton recovers from his gruesome leg injury sustained earlier in the year. I do not think under any circumstance can you have a healthy D core that contains Joel Edmundson in the top 6. There are so many alternatives to Eddy that can play the physical have on ice value.
Looking at his scoring or lack there of, there isn’t a D man on the team with less production outside of Trevor van Reimsdyk and the young Haydn Fleury. All of Skjei, Hamilton and Vatanen have more offensive upside. Jaccob Slavin is…. Jaccob Slavin. That doesn’t include Jake Gardiner or Brett Pesce. There are just WAY too many other options who give more on the ice than Joel, and that’s all that matters at the end of it.
We can debate Joel Edmundson being a great locker room guy for the Carolina Hurricanes, I’m not disagreeing. He’s probably one of the nicest guys you’ll ever wish to meet, hockey players often are. I wish nothing but the best for Joel Edmundson, but there are other options and better players around him and there is really no reason he should be in the top 4 when everyone is back fit and firing.