Penguins acquire Bemstrom from Blue Jackets for Alex Nylander, pick

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Emil Bemstrom from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Alex Nylander and a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick, the teams announced on Thursday.

If Bemstrom scores six or more goals this season with Pittsburgh, the Columbus' draft selection becomes a 2026 third-round pick, The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reports.

The trade is the Blue Jackets' first since firing general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Feb. 15.

Bemstrom has five goals and 11 points in 32 NHL games this season. He cleared waivers earlier in the campaign and torched the AHL with 10 goals and 14 points in eight contests with the Cleveland Monsters.

The 24-year-old has a $900,000 cap hit and will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Nylander, 25, will report to the Blue Jackets after spending most of the campaign in the AHL. He's failed to register a point in five NHL games this season and has 17 goals and 32 points in 43 outings with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He's also set to become a restricted free agent at season's end.

The Blue Jackets drafted Bemstrom 117th overall in 2017. Nylander was selected eighth overall in 2016 by the Buffalo Sabres, and was acquired by Pittsburgh from the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Sam Lafferty in 2022.

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