The following Press Release comes from the National Hockey League.
Canucks acquire Emerson Etem from Rangers for Nicklas Jensen
The New York Rangers traded right wing Emerson Etem to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday for right wing Nicklas Jensen and a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Etem, 23, acquired by the Rangers from the Anaheim Ducks in a trade for Carl Hagelin at the 2015 NHL Draft, had three assists in 19 games with New York and was a healthy scratch 14 times.
“It’s clear that Emerson got off to a tough start here and it just never seemed to gain any traction,” Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton told blueshirtsunited.com. “It goes back to training camp really where it didn’t seem to be working and a fit. So that’s why at this point it was best for us to give him another spot to go to and for us to find a player we like and thought had some future. When Vancouver came along it seemed like the right time to do this.”
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said Friday before the trade that Etem would be sent on a minor league conditioning stint this weekend. Etem was a healthy scratch Tuesday against the Dallas Stars and was not going to be in the lineup against the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
Etem has 15 goals and 34 points in 131 NHL games.
Jensen, 22, selected in the first round (No. 29) of the 2011 NHL Draft, has three goals and six points in 24 NHL games. He played five games last season for the Canucks and didn’t have a point.
Jensen had four goals and 12 points in 27 games for the Canucks’ American Hockey League affiliate in Utica.
“[Jensen] has a nice skill package; he can skate, has good hands, has good hockey sense,” Gorton said. “Our scouts who have seen him recently thought he might benefit from another organization and another opportunity, and we see that a lot in hockey. Hopefully it’s somebody that can help us.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 22: Emerson Etem #96 of the New York Rangers takes the puck in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 7, 2015 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
