The Carolina Hurricanes traded defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Montreal Canadiens for a 2020 fifth-round pick, the team announced Saturday.

Edmundson is a pending unrestricted free agent, so the Habs will need to re-sign him before Oct. 9 or else he'll hit the open market.

The 27-year-old brings an element of size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and physicality (his 118 hits led all Hurricanes blue-liners in 2019-20). He also registered a career-high 20 points in 68 games this past season.

This marks the second time Edmundson has been traded in less than a calendar year. Last September he was dealt by the St. Louis Blues to Carolina along with prospect Dominik Bokk in exchange for Justin Faulk.

Edmundson won a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019, racking up seven points in 22 playoff games along the way.

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