Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins Complete Trade with AHL Implications

The Penguins and Blue Jackets completed a Thursday night trade.

A Thursday night trade with AHL connections went through the wires this evening. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Emil Bemstrom from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward Alex Nylander and a conditional 2026 sixth-round draft pick.

Bemstrom is signed through the 2023-24 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $900,000 at the NHL level.

The 24-year-old Bemstrom has spent the 2023-24 campaign split between the Blue Jackets and their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. With the Blue Jackets, Bemstrom recorded five goals, six assists and 11 points in 32 games. With Cleveland, he notched 10 goals, four assists and 14 points in eight games.

The 6-foot, 195-pound, Bemstrom has spent parts of five seasons in the NHL, all with Columbus. In 204 career regular-season games, he’s picked up 31 goals, 38 assists and 69 points. His best season came in 2022-23 where he set career highs in assists (15) and points (22) in 55 games. Bemstrom has five games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience, all of which came in 2020.

Bemstrom has spent parts of three seasons in the AHL with Cleveland, notching 47 points (26G-21A) in 33 games and is plus-5.

Nylander, 25, has recorded 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points with 20 penalty minutes and 137 shots on goal, while averaging 12:17 of ice time in 98 career NHL games with the Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and Sabres since making his NHL debut in 2016-17. He set NHL career highs with 10-16-26 and 10 penalty minutes in 65 appearances with the Blackhawks in 2019-20. This season, he has registered 10 shots in five contests with the Penguins. A native of Calgary, Alberta, he was originally selected by the Sabres in the first round, eighth overall, at the 2016 NHL Draft.

The 6-1, 192-pound forward has added 94-116-210 with 52 penalty minutes, 31 power play goals, 13 game-winning goals and 737 shots on goal in 330 career American Hockey League outings with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Rockford IceHogs and Rochester Americans since 2016-17. He has notched 17-15-32 with three PPG and four GWG in 43 appearances with Wilkes-Barre in 2023-24, leading the club in goals and points.

*Press release and stats courtesy of the Blue Jackets and Penguins