For the second time in less than a year, Emerson Etem is the centerpiece of a trade.
The New York Rangers have traded the 23-year old defenseman turned winger to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for blueliner Nick Jensen and a late draft pick. That pick, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, appears to be a 2017 6th-round pick.
Heard from a source close to the trade that NYR Emerson Etem is on the way to Vancouver in a player + pick deal. #NHL
— Julie Stewart-Binks (@JSB_TV) January 8, 2016
It's Etem for Jensen and a 6th round pick in 2017.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 8, 2016
In 19 games with the Rangers this season, Etem had just three assists. He had just been sent down to AHL Hartford on a conditioning stint earlier on Friday before the trade went down. In 131 career games with Anaheim and New York, Etem has 15 goals and 19 assists for just 34 points.
On his third team in less than a year, Etem may be down to his last opportunity to prove his worth in the league. If he can’t find stability, he could become a perennial AHLer sooner rather than later.
Jensen has spent this season in the AHL with the Utica Comets. In 27 games, the 22-year old blueliner has four goals and eight assists. In 24 career NHL games, Jansen has three goals and three assists.
This deal is the third trade in 24 hours in the NHL as dominoes are starting to fall. The NHL Trade Deadline is a month and a half away, and it’s expected that even more moves will be happening sooner rather than later.
Michael is a former Managing Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s covered the Buffalo Sabres, along with the NHL in general, for various outlets since 2009. His work has been featured on outlets such as Yahoo, Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports.
