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Joel Edmundson would have loved to have jumped into the fray with the Maple Leafs.
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Instead, he had to be content with watching on Thursday night as his new club lost 4-1 to the Boston Bruins.
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Acquired from the Washington Capitals earlier in the day, the big defenceman arrived for the opening faceoff and looked on at TD Garden as the Leafs and Bruins engaged in a physical match that speaks to the teams’ rivalry.
“Playoff atmosphere,” Edmundson told media in Boston afterward. “Sitting up there was tough. I wanted to get out there, all the scrums and fights, that excites me. That’s playoff hockey and I think I play my best hockey during playoffs. I definitely wanted to be out there.”
Edmundson was in Pittsburgh with the Capitals and about to go on the ice for the morning skate on Thursday when he was pulled aside and told he had been traded to the Maple Leafs. He is likely to make his Leafs debut on Saturday in Montreal against the Canadiens.
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“Everything,” he said when asked what he likes about the chance to play for the Leafs. “I know it’s a first-class organization and I love the way the team is built. Very excited to join.
“It’s been a long day. We had a quick day trip up to Pittsburgh but I packed a big bag just in case, so I had a feeling something was going to happen.”
A left-handed shot, the 6-foot-5, 221-pound Edmundson said he could play the right side. He has done it before in the National Hockey League.
“I just take care of my own zone,” Edmundson said. “Stay-at-home defenceman, nothing flashy, but my job is to make the other forwards miserable. I like to play hard with a heavy stick in front of the net and in the corners, and just play tough. That’s what I’m going to bring.”
And what will the 30-year-old bring as a teammate?
“I just like to have fun,” Edmundson said. “We’re in the NHL. There’s no bad days in this league. Just try to keep the mood light and when you step on the ice, you flip the switch.”
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