It’s easy to notice Edström when he’s putting the puck in the net - and, if we’re being honest, his size is tough to miss, too.
But since starting the 2026-27 season with the Preds after being acquired from the New York Rangers in a summertime trade, Edström has been one of Nashville’s most noticeable forwards for the right reasons.
“He was great [Tuesday] night, and he's been great all year,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of Edström. “We want him on top of pucks. We want him to use his size and his speed to start a forecheck for us to get pucks back, and a very good example [Tuesday] night with his reach on the penalty kill. So, those are the things that we kind of expect out of him.”
“I think he uses his size and speed really well,” Edström’s linemate Drury said. “On the forecheck, he's been really fast and just hunting defensemen, and I think he's getting rewarded for that hard work. I mean, he's really fast. I think you might not realize because of how big he is, how long his stride is, but he's one of the faster guys I've seen, especially in straight lines. So, he's been using his speed really well and getting rewarded for it.”
Edström is tied for second on the team with three goals, and although he’s not relied upon solely to put the puck in the net, it certainly doesn’t hurt his case, either.
He also leads the Preds with 32 hits, a number that figures to keep rising considering he’s bigger than just about every other player he’ll encounter on the ice.
For someone who had never been traded before, the 26-year-old Edström has fit in rather seamlessly to his new surroundings.
"I'm super thankful and excited for the opportunity that I've been given here, and I'm just trying to go out there every night, put my best foot forward, play my best game,” Edström said. “I'm trying to play a simple, hard-nosed game, and I feel like I've contributed to that so far.”
His fellow Swede and teammate, Nils Hoglander, would agree.
The two have known each other since they were teens, they played together for two years in their home country and skate together during the summers. When Hoglander was traded from Vancouver to Nashville just days after Edström, the first phone call was an easy choice.
“He was the first guy I called when I got traded, " Hoglander said of Edström. “When I got traded, I called him right after and was like, ‘Surprise, surprise!’”
