Canadiens’ Joel Edmundson out indefinitely with lower body injury

At this moment, there is no indication as to what the cause of the injury was or when it occurred. Edmundson missed the first five months of the 2021-22 season, but that was due to a back injury, not a lower body injury. Unless it was an injury he could play through to close out the season that required major rehabilitation, it’s unlikely this injury occurred while on the ice last year.

As mentioned, Edmundson missed a majority of the season recovering from his back injury, meaning that he only got into 24 games in 2021-22, with career worst totals of three goals, three assists, and six points. He currently has two years left on his four-year contract with a $3.5 million cap hit, one he signed with the Habs after they acquired his signing rights from the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2020 offseason.

Edmundson really struggled defensively when he did return to the lineup, as he finished last season with a 42.15 percent shot attempt share and a 40.99 percent expected goal share at even strength. It was his worst season by far in this regard, as while he doesn’t drive the bus in his pairings, he can usually play well enough to not hold a team back if they are a good team, which the 2021-22 Canadiens were not.

With this injury, the Habs lose one of their few defensemen with NHL experience going into the season, leaving just Mike Matheson and David Savard left on their blueline in that regard. It will likely mean that it gives more time to some of their younger options, and gives the Habs a chance to see if they’re capable of playing in the NHL.

Edmundson joins a growing list of injuries as the Canadiens start training camp. The team also announced that Nick Suzuki will miss the next couple weeks but still likely be ready for the season, along with both Josh Anderson and Jake Evans dealing with day-to-day injuries. They also mentioned that there are no status updates to either Carey Price or Sean Monahan.