The Vancouver Canucks have moved on from prospect Jonathan Dahlen, trading him to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Linus Karlsson. Both players have yet to make their NHL debuts. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet spoke with Dahlen’s agent J.P. Barry about how the trade came about:
There was frustration on both sides. We had numerous discussions on how to improve the situation. More recently a possible move was discussed as an option.
Dahlen, 21, has spent the entire season in the AHL where he has 29 points in 50 games. Originally selected by the Ottawa Senators 42nd overall in the 2016 draft, he was acquired by the Canucks when they traded Alexandre Burrows at the 2017 deadline. That seemed like an early win for the Canucks as Burrows would eventually be bought out by the Senators while Dahlen would find success overseas. Now that he’s in North America, the young forward obviously was looking for an opportunity at the NHL level but will have to hope he finds it in San Jose now.
Even though Dahlen didn’t work out for Vancouver, they aren’t getting nothing in return. Karlsson was selected 87th overall just last June and has recorded 17 points in 48 games in the Swedish second league this season. The 19-year old center is undersized but has a chance to be a bottom-six player in the NHL if he continues his development curve over the next few years. It’s important to note though that Karlsson still needs to be signed to his entry-level contract and convinced to come over to North America.
Dahlen looks lost on North American ice