The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired left wing Alex Nylander and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for right wing Emil Bemstrom.
Nylander has recorded team highs with 17 goals and 32 points in 43 games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season. He has also skated in five NHL games with Pittsburgh.
In 2022-23, Nylander was an AHL All-Star and set career bests with 25 goals, 25 assists and 50 points in 55 games with the Penguins. In 330 career AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Rockford and Rochester, Nylander has recorded 94 goals and 116 assists for 210 points.
Originally a first-round pick (eighth overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Nylander has played 98 games in the NHL with Buffalo, Chicago and Pittsburgh, totaling 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points.
Bemstrom appeared in eight games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters earlier this season, notching 10 goals and four assists. He has gone on to post five goals and six assists in 32 games with the Blue Jackets in 2023-24.
A fourth-round selection by Columbus in the 2017 NHL Draft, Bemstrom has skated in 204 games in the NHL, registering 31 goals and 38 assists for 69 points. In 33 career AHL outings, Bemstrom has recorded 26 goals and 21 assists for 47 points.
