In his second season with the Los Angeles Kings, defenseman Joel Edmundson continued to play a big role in the top four on the blue line alongside young defenseman Brandt Clarke.
Edmundson continued to fill this role for the Kings, playing alongside Clarke on the blue line. He is effective in that role, helping elevate the defensive play of his partner on the blue line, Clarke.
Joel Edmundson's performance for the Los Angeles Kings in the 2025-26 season
In the 2025-26 season, Edmundson registered two goals, 21 assists, and 23 total points while playing in all 82 games for the Kings. He also scored one goal for the Kings while playing all four postseason games in the first round vs. the Colorado Avalanche.
This past regular season was the first time in Edmundson's NHL career that he registered over 20 assists in a season. He also scored multiple goals in the regular season for the second consecutive year for the Kings.
And despite dealing with a lingering injury issue in the season's last few months, Edmundson still showed incredible durability and stamina, playing all 82 games this past regular season.
However, Edmundson performed better before suffering a hip injury in late January, as he registered 16 of the season's 21 points and both goals scored before the injury issue in the second half of the regular season.
Expected to fill the role of a steady and reliable defensive defenseman and a consistent penalty killer on special teams, Edmundson did exactly what the Kings needed him to do on the blue line. While he isn't the type of defenseman who drives the play offensively or transitions the puck up the ice, Edmundson excelled in the role the Kings envision when they signed him.
Edmundson not only ranked in the top three on the team in plus/minus rating (+14) this past season, but he also led the team in time on the ice on special teams on the penalty kill.
Edmundson's stay-at-home defensive tendencies and his reliability in the zone allowed Clarke to play to his strengths in the offensive zone and driving the play with the puck on his stick and in the neutral zone in transition.
When the Kings signed Edmundson in the 2024 offseason, the team wasn't expecting him to be a 40-point producer on the blue line. The Kings wanted a reliable and physical defenseman who could stabilize the blue line. And from what we've seen from Edmundson's performance in this past couple of years, the Kings have gotten what they were looking for when they signed Edmundson, even if his impact on the overall blue line group is still fairly limited.
Had Edmundson been fully healthy for the entire regular season, his grade for the campaign probably could've been higher.
2025-26 Season Grade: B
What to expect from Joel Edmundson moving forward with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2026-27 season?
Edmundson is going into Year 3 of a four-year contract he signed with the Kings in the 2024 offseason for the upcoming 2026-27 season. For the most part, Edmundson has been the player the Kings thought they were getting when they signed him in free agency a couple of offseasons ago.
For the time being, expect Edmundson to remain as the defensive partner with Clarke on the blue line going into training camp and the preseason this fall.
Given the fact that general manager Ken Holland and the Kings didn't adjust the top six on the blue line as much as expected early this offseason, Edmundson's role might not have changed all that much in the top four entering 2026-27. That could still change, though.
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