Joel Edmundson looms as the swing piece for the Kings’ blue line.
Los Angeles put together a strong defense last season and wants that group to hold its ground, or maybe even climb higher, this year. The difference-maker, according to the numbers, is Edmundson.
At 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds, he is the biggest and heaviest defenseman on the Kings roster, and that size shows up in a way nobody else on the team can really match. He led the club in effective physical play, finishing with 97 hits while taking 78, the only player in Los Angeles to land more hits than he absorbed.
That edge also made him a key piece on the penalty kill. Edmundson logged the most penalty-kill minutes among Kings defensemen, even though he ranked fourth in total ice time on the blue line.
The possession numbers back up his value, too. Edmundson and Clarke were the most effective pairing by puck possession, posting a 52.02% CF. By comparison, Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty were at 49.9% on the top pair, while Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci checked in at 47.93% on the third pair.
Edmundson and Clarke also gave the Kings their best two-way results. When they were on the ice, the team scored 53 goals and allowed 38. Anderson and Doughty’s unit was outscored 49-42, and Dumoulin and Ceci were on the ice for 39 goals against and 25 goals for.
That balance is exactly why Edmundson matters so much. Clarke may be the more offense-oriented defenseman, but Edmundson gives that pairing the muscle and stability it needs.
And it’s not just about his work beside Clarke. Edmundson stands out for hits and penalty-kill duty, two areas that new coach Peter Laviolette is expected to lean on in his up-tempo, forecheck-heavy system.
If Los Angeles is going to keep its defensive identity intact and maybe push into the top five, Edmundson has to be part of the answer.
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Joel Edmundson Gave Kings Stability But One Question Still Lingers
Joel Edmundson gave the Kings exactly the kind of steadying presence they were looking for on the blue line this season. He dressed for all 82 games, chipped in two goals and 21 assists, and stayed in the lineup through the first-round series against Colorado, where he added a goal in four postseason games. Working alongside Brandt Clarke, he remained a fixture in a defense group that leaned on him for minutes and reliability.
Edmundson also carried a heavy load on the penalty kill, which only reinforced how important he became to Los Angeles in tight games and late-season stretches. Even with a hip issue surfacing late in the year, the bigger question now is how the Kings manage his role moving forward, especially as he heads into another season under contract and the club decides how much more it can ask from one of its steadiest defenders. [Read more 🡒]
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Kings Fans May Hate Where This Drew Doughty Debate Is Going
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The uncomfortable part for Los Angeles is that this is the final year of the contract, which means the organization is running out of time to separate legacy from value. Doughty still brings respect, experience and a long track record of importance to the franchise, but the gap between what he has meant to the Kings and what he is making has become one of the more notable issues on the current roster. [Read more 🡒]