Alex Edler

Alexander Edler has hit the ice for the Vancouver Canucks 1,007 times in his NHL career. He has never played a game for another franchise but now enters another uncertain offseason as an unrestricted free agent. One thing that is certain is that he has no plans on retirement; Edler told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic that he wants to play in 2021-22.

In 2019, the Canucks faced a similar decision. Edler made it clear he wanted to stay in Vancouver and the two sides agreed on a two-year, $12MM deal that actually represented the highest per-season salary of his career. The difference now is that Edler is 35 and coming off his worst offensive season, with just eight points in 52 games. For a player that had never registered fewer than 20 previously, that was a precipitous dropoff. Edler’s down year also came in a difficult season for the Canucks, who finished in last place in the North Division.

There’s no doubt that Edler’s next contract will come at a considerably lower salary than his last one, but will it come in Vancouver? The Canucks have young defensemen like Jack Rathbone and Olli Juolevi who will need increased roles, while Tyler Myers and Nate Schmidt are still taking up nearly $12MM in cap already. Quinn Hughes, the team’s most dynamic defender, is up for a new contract and will likely take up a huge chunk of the team’s remaining cap space.

Edler has only received votes for the Norris Trophy on one occasion but he has been a staple in the Canucks lineup since 2007. He sits fourth in franchise games played behind only Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, and Trevor Linden, tenth in all-time points despite being a defenseman.

The Department of Player Safety has come to a decision on Alexander Edler following his phone hearing, issuing a two-game suspension to the Vancouver Canucks defenseman. Edler’s ban comes for a kneeing incident in last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which resulted in an injury to Zach Hyman. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that it is not the evasive move that causes unavoidable knee-on-knee contact through no fault of Edler’s. Edler approaches Hyman with a wide base, which is common as part of a natural hitting motion. When Hyman makes his move, Edler has the option to make a full adjustment of his entire body and attempt a full body check, or to maintain his current course and attempt to slow Hyman down in some other fashion. Instead, fatigued after a long shift, Edler only adjusts his right leg, turning his right foot outward to extend his leg further. While this movement is slight, it insures that leg on leg contact will occur and ultimately means that Edler drives his knee directly into the knee of Hyman with force.

Edler received a major penalty and game misconduct on the play but will have to sit out two games as well. The Maple Leafs have not yet issued an update on Hyman’s status.

Though it cannot be considered in this instance, this isn’t the first time Edler has received a suspension for kneeing. While playing at the 2013 World Championships for Sweden, he was kicked out of the tournament for a knee-on-knee hit against Canada’s Eric Staal. He has also been suspended twice in his NHL career, but not since the 2013-14 season.

Edler only just returned along with the rest of the Canucks from a weeks-long layoff thanks to a COVID outbreak. They’ll now have to navigate the next two games–tomorrow against the Maple Leafs and Thursday against Ottawa–without one of their key defenders and a player who logs heavy minutes on a regular basis.