I feel like I have explained why Edmnundson won't get a 1st back on multiple occasions. If he isn't available for less than a 1st, he isn't the answer to Edmonton's problem. Everyone thinks their 2nd pair defensemen will get that 1st round pick, but you fail to mention that the examples you gave that got firsts were seen as #2 guys on a top pair, not 2nd pair guys, and in Savards case, had another team involved eating 1/4 of his salary. I know everyone on HF wants a 1st for all of their players, but not every trade is going to involve your team bending over another team.
Savard, Chiarot and Edmundson are all in the same tier of Dman… Edmundson is the most reliable defensively, the most experienced and youngest of the 3 + he isn’t a pure rental since he will have 1 year left with retention that will be 1.75M$, so even if you think he isn’t there is 2 years vs. rental.
You can say he is only a second pairing guy but Kulak who isn’t a guy that can play top 4 and was behind Edmundson (in MTL SC run Kulak wasn’t even in the lineup every night and playing <13min while Ed was playing >23min ) Kulak got back a 2nd as a rental lot depth #6/7 got move for 3rd-4th… You have to remember that all these pick are later in the round so less valuable.
In Savard case a 3rd team had to be involved to make the cap work if CBJ would have been able to make it work they would basically have received that pick it doesn’t really changes what TB had to pay. Also FLA gave a unprotected 1st in 2023 which was a gamble, the team giving up a 1st at this TDL won’t gamble has much since they have a pretty good idea of where he will finish and it also might be protected so the is a significant difference in value.
MTL doesn’t have to trade Edmundson, KH will set is price and if no one is willing to pay it he will wait till next TDL… There is always room to negotiate but unless there is a prospect with significant value I don’t see him being moved for less than a 1st, since that is the cost of a rental which he isn’t, team contending this year should also be contending next year so locking up a guy at 1.75M$ will not only give them 2 kick at the can but also room to make adjustments, heck they could even flip him at the next TDL… Even if MTL only get a 2nd next year, MTL will not have lost anything, there is no point of selling to the highest bidder if the bid isn’t good enough and you don’t have to sell. The price is well established around the league even if it fluctuate a bit it isn’t going from 1st++ for a rental to 2nd for a guy with terms, with many team having cap issues and Edmundson terms is value isn’t that much lower…
If team don’t want pay a 1st they don’t have too, just like MTL doesn’t have to trade player that will help team improve their D ending into the playoff.