NHL: Blue Jackets trade Oliver Bjorkstrand to Kraken, and more news
The Daily Goal Horn
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The Seattle Kraken traded two draft picks to the Columbus Blue Jackets to land forward Oliver Bjorkstrand on Friday.
Columbus received Seattle’s third- and fourth-round picks in the 2023 draft in the deal.
Bjorkstrand has spent his seven-year NHL career entirely with the Blue Jackets, who selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft. The 27-year-old right winger has 111 goals and 123 assists (234 points) across 382 career games.
In 80 games in 2021-22, Bjorkstrand set career highs of 28 goals and 57 points, while matching his career best of 29 assists.
Blue Jackets trade Oliver Bjorkstrand
The Blue Jackets parted ways with Bjorkstrand after locking up restricted free agent forward Patrik Laine on a four-year, $34.8 million deal earlier Friday. Columbus also made the most notable splash of the free agency period by signing forward Johnny Gaudreau.
“It was a difficult decision to trade Oliver, who has given so much to our organization over the past seven years,” said GM Jarmo Kekalainen in a statement. “However, a move like this needed to be made in order for us to be salary cap compliant after the Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine signings. We are thankful for Oliver’s many contributions to our club, on and off the ice, and wish he and his wife, Jill, all the best in Seattle.”
Sharks sign Steven Lorentz
The San Jose Sharks signed recently acquired forward Steven Lorentz to a two-year contract on Friday.
The team didn’t reveal the financial terms.
Lorentz, 26, played in 67 games with the Hurricanes in 2021-22. Carolina traded him to the Sharks with goaltender prospect Eetu Makiniemi and a conditional pick in the 2023 NHL Draft for defenseman Brent Burns and forward Lane Pederson on July 13.
Last season, Lorentz tallied 13 points (eight goals, five assists). In 112 career NHL games, he has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) and 16 penalty minutes.
He added three assists and 21 penalty minutes in 16 career Stanley Cup Playoff games with Carolina.
The Hurricanes selected Lorentz in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Rangers sign Tim Gettinger
The New York Rangers signed forward Tim Gettinger to a one-year contract extension on Friday.
Terms were not disclosed for Gettinger, who skated in a career-high eight games last season with the Rangers.
Gettinger, 24, has yet to record a point in 16 career games with New York.
He totaled 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) and a plus-9 rating in 45 games last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
–Field Level Media