Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
The Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins are at it again.
Hours after the Canucks traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, they acquired defenseman Marcus Pettersson and left winger Drew O’Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In return, the Penguins receive forwards Danton Heinen and Melvin Fernstrom, defenseman Vincent Desharnais and a conditional 2025 first-round pick. The first-rounder is whatever the Canucks get from the Rangers in the Miller trade, meaning if the pick falls in the top 13 selections of the 2025 draft, it becomes an unprotected 2026 first-rounder.
This is Pittsburgh’s fifth trade since the regular season began. It’s Vancouver’s fourth. Although the Penguins are on pace to miss the playoffs for the third-straight year, they’re looking to remain as competitive as possible when Sidney Crosby’s two-year contract extension kicks in next season. And despite a rocky road for the Canucks so far this campaign, they’re only one point out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
The Penguins acquired the Rangers’ 2025 first-round pick (conditional), forward Danton Heinen, defenseman Vincent Desharnais, and 2024 third-round pick Melvin Fernstrom from the Canucks for defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor.
Details: https://t.co/96yIZjGSC4 pic.twitter.com/MZzl5PbP1c
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 1, 2025
In comes Pettersson, a 28-year-old from Sweden unrelated to Swedish center Elias Pettersson and Swedish blueliner Elias Pettersson. He surfaced in trade speculation during the season, as his five-year contract worth about $4.025 million annually ends this summer. He’ll be a UFA unless he and the Canucks agree on a new deal.
In 47 games, Pettersson has three goals and 15 assists for 18 points. His career-high 30-point campaign came last year, which is the only time in his eight-season NHL career that he played 82 games.
Pettersson averaged the most penalty-kill minutes among Penguins skaters at 2:44. He also led Pittsburgh’s defensemen in Corsi-for percentage (52.13) and expected goals percentage (55.27) at 5-on-5, according to naturalstattrick.com.
O’Connor, meanwhile, has six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 53 games. The undrafted 26-year-old has played parts of five seasons in the NHL, all with Pittsburgh. At 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, O’Connor has 51 hits, 40 blocked shots and 1:39 of average penalty-kill time with Pittsburgh this season.
“Moving two longtime Penguins is never an easy decision,” Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said in a news release. “Marcus and Drew have competed day-in and day-out for the organization since the day they arrived. Both players are high-quality people, highly competitive players and zero maintenance for their fellow teammates and the staff of the Penguins.”
The trade comes as the Penguins try to compete for the playoffs in the short term while building their future.
“Tonight’s trade continues to move us in the direction set one year ago, which is to continue to add young prospects, young players and draft capital to the Penguins as we chart our course to return the club back into contention as urgently as possible,” Dubas said.
The Penguins’ draft capital continues to build, with three first-rounders in the next two drafts. They have a potential 11 picks in 2025, with five in the first three rounds unless the Rangers’ first-rounder becomes the 2026 selection.
Heinen, 29, returns to the team he played two seasons for between 2021 and 2023. He had six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 51 games with the Canucks. In 2021-22 with the Penguins, Heinen had 33 points in 76 games, and he recorded 22 points in 65 games in 2022-23.
The young prospect is Fernstrom, an 18-year-old selected in the third round in 2024 who has eight points in 35 Swedish League games this year, as well as 18 points in 12 games in Sweden’s junior league.
Desharnais, a 28-year-old, 6-foot-7, 226-pound blueliner, is on his third NHL team in the past year. He played his first two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, appeared in 16 games in their run to the Cup final and signed with the Canucks on July 1, 2024. He has three assists, 54 hits and 48 blocked shots in 34 games this season.
Related: Vancouver Canucks Trade J.T. Miller To New York Rangers To End The Rift Ruckus
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.
