Vancouver GM Jim Benning made his second curious trade of the week on Wednesday evening, obtaining the rights to KHL defenseman Philip Larsen from Edmonton, in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2017.
The trade, first reported by TSN, is an odd one. Larsen, 26, has been off the NHL radar for a bit, having spent the last two seasons in the KHL. His last action in North America came with the Oilers in ’13-14, when he had three goals and 12 points in 30 games.
There is some intrigue, however.
He’s enjoyed a terrific offensive campaign with Jokerit this season, scoring 12 goals and 38 points in 54 games. He’s a right-handed shot, and also a Danish national team member -- along with new Canuck teammate Jannik Hansen.
VAN intends to sign Larsen on July 1 and have him join the NHL team for the 2016-17 season. #tradecentre #TSN
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2016
As mentioned above, this is Benning’s second move of the week. On Monday, he flipped former first-round pick Hunter Shinkaruk to Calgary in exchange for forward Markus Granlund, a move that was largely panned by Canucks fans and media.