NY Islanders Acquire Negotiating Rights to Christian Ehrhoff

The New York Islanders announced tonight that they have acquired the negotiating rights to defenseman Christian Ehrhoff from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1. It became apparent in recent days that Ehrhoff would be headed to the free agent market when he turned down a contract offer from Vancouver that would have paid him $4.6 million per season. In 79 games last season with the Canucks, he had 14 goals and 36 assists for 50 points. He also added two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 23 playoff games. If the Islanders can get Ehrhoff signed to a new contract, this will be an excellent move for the team and greatly improve their defensive corps. He has excellent offensive skill, is great on the power play, and can log lots of minutes. New York will likely be aggressive over the next two days to get him under contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.