Canucks trade Ehrhoff's rights to Islanders for fourth-round pick

VANCOUVER - Christian Ehrhoff's days with the Vancouver Canucks are over.

The club announced Tuesday that the rights to the defenceman have been traded to the New York Islanders for a fourth-round draft pick in 2012.

Ehrhoff is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, the start of the free-agency period. The Islanders will have exclusive negotiation rights with the veteran German until then.

Ehrhoff made US$3.1 million last season.

The move comes hours after the Canucks signed top defenceman Kevin Bieksa to a five-year, $23-million contract extension.

Ehrhoff was a solid contributor to the Canucks' first-overall finish in the 2010-11 regular season, putting up 50 points (14 goals, 36 assists) and a plus-19 rating in 79 games.

His numbers dipped in the playoffs, where he had 12 points in 23 games and a minus-13 rating. He was limited to one point in Vancouver's Stanley Cup final loss to Boston, and was on the ice for two of the Bruins' four goals in the deciding game. He said after the final that he had been playing with an injured shoulder.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had free agency beginning Saturday instead of Friday.