A minor trade was done on Friday by the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks when the New York Rangers traded forward Emerson Etem to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for 22 years-old Nicklas Jensen and a sixth-round pick in 2017. Etem, 23, was never able to flourish and become the player the Rangers has hoped for when they acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks last summer.
Etem was a flop in New York
“I would say it’s clear that Emerson got off to a tough start here and it didn’t seem to gain any traction,” general manager Jeff Gorton said on a conference call Friday night. “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, we just thought it was best for us to give him another spot to go to, and for us, find a player we liked and thought had some future.”
Etem was acquired by the Rangers last summer when they traded Carl Hagelin to Anaheim for Etem. At the time New York wanted to free up cap space. Hagelin was well liked in New York and his trade at the time was seen as a business decision. In 19 games played with the Rangers, Etem was able to only collect three assists and was a minus -4. On Friday, before the trade, Etem agreed to be demoted to New York’s AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack’s for conditionning reasons. The demotion never occured since Etem was traded shortly before the assignment. Last season Etem, spent some time with the Norfolk Admirals and the Anaheim Ducks. With Anaheim, Etem scored 5 goals for ten point in 45 games. In Norfolk, the Long Beach, CA native, recorded 13 goals, 8 assists for 21 points in 22 games.
A familiar face for Alain Vigneault
In Nicklas Jensen, head coach Alain Vigneault will retrieve a familiar face. Vigneault was the Vancouver head coach when the Canucks drafted Jensen in 2011. He was picked 29th overall in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. With the Utica Comets, Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, Jensen scored four goals and had 8 eight assists in 27 games played. Although he has played 24 NHL regular season games with the Canucks, Jensen has not played for them this season. The new York Rangers indicated Jensen will report to the Wolf Packs.
