Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson is returning to the team after a leave of absence and is back in the city, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. As he continues to recover from an injury that’s kept him out since the beginning of the season, Lavoie reports he’s expected to make his season debut within the next two weeks.
Edmundson took an indefinite leave of absence from the team just a few days again in order to be with his father who’s currently dealing with cancer. It’s a promising sign that Edmundson is already back in Montreal and working towards a return.
Any change would help the Habs right now, who are reeling with an 0-5-0 start. Edmundson played over 20 minutes a night last season, supplementing 13 points in 55 games with solid defensive play. He played over 23 minutes a night in the playoffs, forming a formidable pairing with Jeff Petry. That’s where he could slot again once he returns to the lineup, allowing head coach Dominique Ducharme to experiment with some different pairings to stop the bleeding.
Edmundson is in the second season of a four-year, $14MM deal ($3.5MM cap hit) he signed with Montreal after they acquired his signing rights in September 2020.
His return could potentially mark the healthiest Montreal’s defense will be all season if there are no further injuries, as Shea Weber is expected to be absent for the entire year.
I hope Eddy’s Dad is getting better. The number of replies to Renaud Lavoie’s posting dedicated to well-wishes is disappointingly small. They’re mostly pre-occupied with the blueline personnel pairings. Those people need to be cross-checked in the face. Eddy’s Dad is the important part of the story, not the Habs lineup changes. Cancer doesn’t recognize “No news is good news.” I lost a cousin to an aggressive ovarian cancer very quickly. I hope Eddy’s Dad is on the other end of the spectrum where they can successfully treat and cure him.