Capitals acquire D Edmundson from Canadiens for draft picks
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MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens traded defenceman Joel Edmundson to the Washington Capitals for a third-round and a seventh-round draft pick in 2024 on Saturday.
Montreal will retain 50 per cent of Edmundson's salary.
Edmundson had two goals and 11 assists in 61 games last season, his third with the Canadiens.
The 30-year-old has one year remaining on his contract at US$3.5 million.
Edmundson began his career in St. Louis, where he won a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019, before he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the following season.
The Canadiens traded for the rights to sign him in September 2020.
Forward Alex Belzile is also heading to a new home.
The 31-year-old from Riviere-du-Loup, Que., is leaving his home province and signing a two-year contract with the New York Rangers.
Belzile had six goals and eight assists in 31 games with the Canadiens last season.
Montreal announced a couple minor signings on Saturday.
The Canadiens signed forward Philippe Maillet and defenceman Brady Keeper to two-way contracts.
Maillet, a 30-year-old from Lachenaie, Que., played his last two seasons with the Kontinental Hockey League's Magnitogorsk Metallurg, totalling 37 goals and 55 assists in 113 games.
Keeper, 27, had one goal and five assists in 35 games with the Abbotsford Canucks — Vancouver's American Hockey League affiliate — last season.