The Boston Bruins need to upgrade their blue line, preferably on the left side, before Friday's 3 p.m. ET NHL trade deadline.
One option is Washington Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson.
The 30-year-old veteran is drawing interest from several Eastern Conference teams, including the Bruins, per TSN's Darren Dreger. He also reported Thursday morning that Boston "seemed to have the inside track" on Edmundson as of Wednesday night.
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Edmundson has great size (6-foot-5, 221 pounds), plays physical, blocks shots, clears traffic from the front of the net and kills penalties. He brings a level of toughness the B's sometimes lack in the defensive zone. He also has 75 games of playoff experience and was a member of the St. Louis Blues team that defeated the Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
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Edmundson won't bring much to the table offensively -- six points in 44 games for the Capitals this season -- but he can take on tough defensive assignments for 15-18 minutes per game.
Would Edmundson be a massive upgrade for the B's? No, not at all. But he would provide solid depth on the left side of the blue line and another penalty killer -- two things Boston really needs. He also would be a slight upgrade over Derek Forbort, based on the way the B's defenseman has played of late.
Edmundson likely would be a rental for the Bruins. He's in the final year of his contract and eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
UPDATE: The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Thursday they have acquired Edmundson via trade.