{"id":53398,"date":"2019-08-06T13:18:16","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T17:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=53398"},"modified":"2019-08-06T13:18:16","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T17:18:16","slug":"joel-edmundson-re-signs-with-st-louis-blues-following-arbitration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2019\/08\/06\/joel-edmundson-re-signs-with-st-louis-blues-following-arbitration\/","title":{"rendered":"Joel Edmundson Re-Signs with St. Louis Blues Following Arbitration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The St. Louis Blues re-signed defenceman Joel Edmundson<\/a><\/strong> after his arbitration hearing awarded him a one-year, $3.1 million deal. The deal is a $100,000 raise from his previous contract.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/FriedgeHNIC\/status\/1158778510657372161?s=20<\/p>\n

St. Louis Blues Re-Sign Joel Edmundson<\/h2>\n

This is Edmundson’s second time filing for arbitration. He filed for a hearing last summer as well, going through similarly difficult talks with the Blues front office. The two sides were able to agree to a deal the day before his hearing was scheduled, though, agreeing on a one-year deal worth $3 million. This carried him through the 2018-19 season and straight into the arms of another arbitration hearing.<\/p>\n

Edmundson didn’t drop any jaws with his play last year. He often lined up on the team’s top-pairing, alongside captain Alex Pietrangelo<\/a><\/strong>. Despite being a partner to the team’s star defenceman, Edmundson only managed 11 points in 64 games. In the post-season he was equally as unproductive, recording seven points in 22 games. As the end of the year, and playoffs came around, the Blues began to favor Carl Gunnarsson<\/a><\/strong> over Edmundson. Gunnarsson was plagued with injuries last season but managed to record three goals and eight points in 25 regular-season games. He tallied three more points in 19 playoff games.<\/p>\n

Despite the lack of scoring, Edmundson was still an important part of the Blues Stanley Cup-winning<\/a> season. He recorded a Corsi For of 50.8 percent. He also averaged 19:44 in ice time each game, ranking third among the team’s defensemen.<\/p>\n

Edmundson is likely to face much more competition for his top-spot role next season. Gunnarsson will be an immediate threat, assuming he can stay healthy. Vince Dunn<\/a><\/strong> could also be a major thorn in Edmundson’s side. Dunn was prolific in the latter half of the season. In 78 games, he recorded an admirable 35 points, second-highest among Blues defensemen, despite playing on the team’s bottom-pairing. As next season rolls around, it’s safe to assume that the Blues will be looking to give the young Dunn every chance to succeed, even if this mean’s limiting Edmundson’s minutes.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>