The Vancouver Canucks’ trading appetite hadn’t been satiated after sending J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers. In the early hours of the morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they’ve traded defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor to the Canucks for forwards Danton Heinen and Melvin Fernström, defenseman Vincent Desharnais, and the conditional 2025 first-round pick previously acquired from the Rangers in the Miller swap.
Pettersson’s seven-year tenure with the Penguins ended with him scoring 16 goals and 141 points in 442 regular-season games and four assists in 21 playoff contests. He blossomed into a top-four defenseman in Pittsburgh, regularly logging more than 19 minutes of ice time per game.
The Skelleftea, Sweden should fit in quite well on the Canucks’ blue line. He’s totaled more than 130 blocked shots and 120 hits in each season since 2022-23 and averaged a 91.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength throughout his career. Furthermore, his possession metrics are well above average for a defenseman with a career 51.3% CorsiFor% at even strength. 
Vancouver is in the middle of the pack regarding CorsiFor% and goals-against-per-game average. Pettersson should help fill both of these needs with the Canucks and the glaring hole in the top four of the team’s defensive core behind Quinn Hughes.
The Canucks will also acquire a flexible middle-six option in O’Connor. The pending unrestricted free agent had spent his entire career with the Penguins up to this point scoring 30 goals and 66 points in 210 games.
O’Connor may have found his offensive ceiling last year with 16 goals and 33 points in 79 games but he still gives the Canucks a winger that can play in all situations. It’s unlikely he’ll find himself on either powerplay unit in Vancouver but O’Connor could find some staying power on the team’s penalty kill.
Outside of the conditional first-round pick, the Canucks primarily sent a collection of spare parts to the Penguins. Heinen and Desharnais are signed through next season but aren’t considered long-term pieces for the Penguins. Heinen had scored six goals and 18 points in 51 games for the Canucks while Desharnais had tallied three assists in 34 contests.
Fernström is in his first full season in the Swedish Hockey League with Örebro HK after being selected 93rd overall by the Canucks in last year’s draft. He possesses a strong hockey IQ and has already shown the ability to score against at a relatively young age with three goals and eight points in 35 contests.
The trade as a whole should answer several questions for both teams. The Penguins traded their highest-value rental well before the trade deadline, so we’ll see how active they are in the next few weeks before and after the 4 Nations Face-Off. In Vancouver, the team has acquired several pieces in the last 24 hours so we’ll see how the locker room responds to all the changes.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports images.
O’ Connor can play if given the chance with top 6 minutes..
He was given that chance, did nothing with it though.
So basically Pettersson for a 1st rounder, with Pitt taking back some light salary to get it done & have a few warm bodies.
Well, Vancouver definitely bolstered their defense with requiring Marcus Pettersson. Drew O’Connor is a fairly good bottom-six guy.
Pittsburgh’s top thing here was the 1st round pick. Danton Heinen is an admirable player & Vincent Desharnais is a decent seventh defenseman. As for Melvin Fernstrom, only time will tell if he develops into anything in the NHL.
DesHarnais was forced into NHL action by Edmonton at a time when the Oilers were desperate for bodies, He’s really good at nothing, And a career minor leaguer.
Is Vancouver just collecting Petterssons?
@PyramidHeadcrab – If they get 97 more of them, the Canucks can cash them in for a toaster oven at the bank!
I get the idea of wanting a 1st round pick but taking on contracts that run through NEXT season for 2 guys done at the end of this season is terrible.
Gave up your top 2 trade chips and still took on salary for next season. Dubas is a dum…
Must be smoking that Petterson
Betting on Rangers staying close but falling short of the playoffs, or even better, collapsing completely next season. Dubas likes to gamble… Trading Pettersson to the usual stockingbplayoff team would have been an unsexy 20+ overall pick.
Pickering gets the call up I hope. Heinen can replace O’Connor, at least offensively, as Koivunen should only get the call if he’s gonna get the minutes. This team isn’t one player away, but with the protection on the pick and the timing of the trade it at least gives time to evaluate if the move shakes the locker room like the Guentzel trade PY and if the Rangers spiral. Collectively it might determine if that pick does in fact get moved again rather than used.
Agree TJ this is awful for the best asset you had AND you didn’t use any of the available time of the deadline to your advantage… this GM problem in Pittsburgh is completely ruining the final half of Crosbys career. So sad.
What? You get sad far too easily. It’s only hockey. Lighten up.
So today, The Canucks locker room is probably less divided, But is Vancouver a better team?
The discord in Vancouver clearly came from Elias Pettersson’s irrational demand that every Canuck be named Pettersson.
While Canucks seem willing to burn the furniture to avoid wasting one of the last Quinn years for a good draft position, Sidney’s GM is looking to the future and saying “well it’s been a long run Sid”…
Only like this trade for Vancouver if they manage to extend at least one of them. The price wouldn’t be that bad for a Stanley cup contender, but not for a team that could easily miss the playoffs.
A 1st for Petersson. Yikes.
I like what VAN has done the past 24 hours. They kept the right guy. They found a solid younger cheaper replacement for Miller in Chytil (if he stays healthy, obviously). Marcus Pettersson is what they need on the back end. DOC is a really solid player. I expect them to extend both.
BUT, the thing I liked most for VAN in the Miller deal is now the thing I like most for us…I think there is a really decent chance that NYR misses the playoffs and we get an unprotected 2026 pick.
I dislike Heinan as a player. Hopefully we flip him this year and not next, but…OK.
“Fernström reads the play away from the puck, anticipates where the next pass will come, and he gets there just as his puck-carrying teammates turn to execute the play. His shot may not be the most powerful, but he gets it off from the right positions and angles to score. ”
With that scouting report at 6’2 206 with a right shot, this Fernstrom sounds like an Oliver Bjorkstrand type of player. Or a Nathan Legare type. So, we’ll see.
I dislike the concept of putting all your eggs into one basket (we traded out two best UFA’s for one main asset in return) but the upside of this Ranger pick makes it a worthwhile bet.
Out of all the assets moved in this trade, the 1st round pick is the best one, so the Penguins win.
Dubas has been a fan of Heinen for years, if Toronto media was to be believed.