After the Vancouver Canucks came to a new contract agreement with Kevin Bieksa yesterday to keep him in Vancouver for five years and $23 million, the question shifted to what will happen with Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff was set to cash in in a similar way to Bieksa and with negotiations going poorly in Vancouver, the Canucks have opted to give another team the chance to sign him instead.
Vancouver traded Ehrhoff’s rights to the New York Islanders for a 2012 fourth round draft pick. The Islanders making this move is a bold one to try and improve their blue line in the worst way. After all, they’d just recently dealt Bruno Gervais to Tampa Bay and were lacking another definitive presence on the back line.
Even though the Islanders had a spate of injuries last season, they’re set to come back this year with Mark Streit, Mike Mottau, and Mark Eaton into the lineup. Landing Ehrhoff’s rights gives them a chance to exclusively negotiate with the German defenseman until July 1.
If they’re able to get Ehrhoff signed to a long term deal, he’ll give them another power play threat along the blue line. Ehrhoff isn’t exactly known for his defensive abilities, but the Islanders have a host of players that can keep an eye on that part of the game on defense. Not having a guy with a solid scoring touch from their defense hurt them last season and Ehrhoff would be an instant improvement to their defensive corps.
If the Isles can’t sign him, they lose out on the draft pick and Ehrhoff hits an open market that’s likely eager to heap cash upon him. With many teams having a need on defense, Ehrhoff and his offensive skill set are going to get a lot of attention. While the Isles are one of those teams, there could be a more attractive situation out there for Ehrhoff to explore come July 1. We’ll find out soon enough which way he wants to go.