Ducks claim Emerson Etem on waivers

It was announced this morning that the Anaheim Ducks have claimed Emerson Etem on waivers after the Canucks placed the speedy winger on waivers yesterday.

Etem was Anaheim’s first round pick in 2010, before being traded, along with the 41st overall selection in 2015, to the New York Rangers for Carl Hagelin, the 59th overall and 179th overall picks in 2015. 

Etem was acquired by the Canucks from New York in January for Nicklas Jensen and a 6th round pick.

Ultimately, the Canucks chose to waive Etem due to his pre-season performance, something that I touched on Tuesday, when it was announced that the Canucks would be placing the forward on waivers. From the basic view point of “he was outplayed, thus didn’t deserve a spot”, then the move made sense. Jack Skille played better, thus deserved a spot in the forward ranks.

There is no denying that Etem did not play well enough, or up to his calibre, over the past few weeks.

However, from an asset management or logistical view, placing Etem on waivers after a lacklustre pre-season seems like a decision that was solely based on a handful of games that really shouldn’t mean anything. Etem had become a new father during the exhibition season, thus was dealing with a lot of personal pressure that could’ve affected his performance. That isn’t something that they should base their decision on, but at the very least lends some value into the conversation.

Furthermore, the Canucks traded former first round pick plus a 6th round pick to acquire Etem a few months ago. They were very high on his speed and skill-set and he fit perfectly into the age group that they have been assembling. He wasn’t likely ever going to be able to secure a top 6 spot, but he was able to provide depth within the forward ranks. 

In the end, the Canucks turned a hypothetical nothing in former first round pick Nicklas Jensen and a draft pick into a zero value situation.

The Long Beach native showed flashes last season of what makes him an attractive player, and ended the season on a high note. But there always has been and currently are concerns about his ability to process the game. He has the speed and has the hands for the NHL, but just wasn’t in the right spots.

Losing Etem on waivers isn’t something that should greatly concern Canucks fans, but it does shed light onto a few items that have been growing concerns.

The first being that there is too much emphasis placed on training camp and pre-season. Last season, that thought process cost the Canucks defenceman Frank Corrado. As they felt his pre-season wasn’t up to snuff, and Ben Hutton blew off the doors with his performance. This year, Etem was beat out in a handful of games for a spot by a player who is still unsigned, and was invited to training camp on a PTO.

Secondly, the Canucks have acquired a few players in the last couple of years, who they are quite high on at the time of their acquisition but came to the organization with obvious flaws. Adam Clendening, Linden Vey, and Emerson Etem all come to mind. These players become available, and the Canucks make the move to acquire their services, only to find concerns within their game, and they dispatch them.

Some credit needs to be given to the management team for recognizing the players are likely not a fit, and quickly moving on. But the flaws in their games are quite apparent at the time of acquisition.

Simply put, Etem didn’t play well enough to make the team and the Canucks were likely right in their assessment that he had lost his spot. But they could have gone about this a lot better. They could’ve waived Etem on Monday morning, amongst a bunch of other players, which would’ve likely allowed Etem to slip through and he would still be a part of organization. 

However he was placed on waivers on Wednesday morning, with a few other players, thus making him a little more visible to be claimed.

This marks the second season in a row where the Canucks have lost an NHL-caliber player on waivers before their season began. Which given where the Canucks finished last season is a bit of a concern.