Honest Etem knows he has to work harder and play less on the perimeter to make it

Photo Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports

The chasm between “former first-round draft pick” and journeyman tweener isn’t a canyon. It’s a fine line. 

New Vancouver Canucks forward Emerson Etem, a former first-round draft pick, is now on his third team. He was dealt on Friday for a modest price. At least one NHL team opted not to make the New York Rangers an offer largely because, at the age of 23, most forwards who go on to be difference makers have already established themselves at the NHL level.

Etem knows this might be his last shot, and he was extraordinarily honest and reflective about his NHL career to this point and what he needs to do to cement himself as a mainstay in the top hockey league in the world.

“This is my third kick at the can here, and I for sure want to make it my last,” Etem told reporters on Saturday. “I want to make an impact and make it right away. I’m going to work hard and I think everything will come from there.”

The “work hard” part of the equation is key here because, to hear Etem tell it, that’s something he’s struggled to bring consistently in his two previous NHL stops.

It was a remarkable admission. Have you ever heard a 6-foot-1, 215-pound player describe themselves as too much of a ‘perimeter player’? And on their first day with a new team?

Etem began by saying that, in the past, he’s made too many excuses. What he said next was jarring for the level of honesty and self-awareness.

“You find any reason to believe something,” Etem began. “Really it comes down to just working hard, getting in those gritty areas to score.

“I’ve been very perimeter these past four years to be honest, it’s something that I try to get better, but like I said earlier, I have to get better or the consequences for me…”

Etem broke off then, perhaps contemplating his final shot to make an impact at the NHL level.

“I’m not trying to think about it right now,” he continued, “but I want to play here and I want to play here a long time and if I’m going to do that it’s going to come down to will and winning the puck battles and getting to the net.”

The Canucks are gambling that Etem can recapture some of the form that he’s shown at lower levels of hockey and on occasion at the NHL level. Though he was miscast and misused with the Rangers, with the Anaheim Ducks it often seemed as if Etem was on the verge of breaking out. He just couldn’t quite get there. And the latest trade has forced him to take a good hard look within, and in doing so, he’s apparently found his level of effort and commitment lacking.

“Since the trade happened I had a look at myself in the mirror and this is a huge opportunity,” Etem said. “I’ve had other opportunities before and they didn’t work out and that’s just the truth.”

On Saturday, Etem took accountability for why he hasn’t found success in his two previous previous stops. He didn’t hide behind the reams of forward depth, that he was buried behind in Anaheim, or the intense defensive deployment he was saddled with in New York. 

Instead he noted that perhaps his fitness level wasn’t where it needed to be going into training camp in New York this fall. And in a variety of other ways he directed the blame rather squarely at himself.

“It didn’t work out the way I wanted it to in Anaheim, like I said, I’ve had flashes, I’ve had good playoff success, but on a consistent basis it hasn’t been there,” Etem reflected. “And I think you can say that comes down to work ethic. I think work ethic comes down to winning the puck battles, winning those 50-50 wall battles and that sort of stuff. That all falls under working hard and I have to get back to winning those battles.”

The 23-year-old forward still has some untapped potential. There are forwards – like Tomas Fleischmann – who have managed to become productive offensive wingers somewhat later in their 20s. He’s not quite a long shot bet at this point, but if he’s ever going to deliver on his considerable offensive upside, it has to happen for him quickly.

He won’t get into the lineup on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canucks really have to work Jake Virtanen back into the lineup first, and figure out what they’ve got there. They were also reluctant to throw Etem into the fire after he travelled yesterday and didn’t arrive at his Vancouver hotel until 2 a.m. PST. 

When Etem does get a shot, he knows that he has to work harder than he did in Anaheim or New York. As he himself implied on Saturday, he’s running out of chances.