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Canucks Sign Marcus Pettersson To Six-Year Extension

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The Canucks wasted little time getting pen to paper on a deal with one of their new acquisitions.  The team announced that they’ve signed defenseman Marcus Pettersson to a six-year extension that will carry a cap charge of $5.5MM.  GM Patrik Allvin released the following statement:

In just a couple of games, Marcus has already shown us the type of leadership, poise and character that we want in a top four defenceman,” said Allvin. “He has a calming influence on the ice, uses his long reach and hockey smarts to break up plays and has a good first pass to help us create more offensively. We are extremely happy to get this deal done and look forward to working with him in both the short term and long term.

Of course, Allvin’s familiarity with the 28-year-old is much more than just a couple of games.  He was with Pittsburgh at the time that then-GM Jim Rutherford (who now is in Vancouver’s front office) acquired him so they are quite familiar with what Pettersson brings to the table.  That familiarity undoubtedly played a role in the Canucks flipping the first-round pick they acquired in the J.T. Miller trade last week (along with Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, and Melvin Fernstrom) to Pittsburgh for Pettersson and Drew O’Connor.

Pettersson has played in 49 games this season between Pittsburgh and Vancouver, potting three goals and 15 assists along with 86 blocks and 60 hits while logging more than 22 minutes a night of ice time.  That has him at a 30-point pace which would match his career-high offensively from last season; that uptick in production certainly didn’t hurt his value as he was heading toward his first run at unrestricted free agency this summer which is now on hold for a long time.

For his career, Pettersson has played in 493 NHL games over parts of eight seasons between Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and now Vancouver.  After struggling early in his tenure with the Penguins, he has since established himself as a legitimate top-four blueliner for the last three years.  That track record was good enough for Vancouver to target him and waste little time locking him up through the 2030-31 season.

The deal represents a nice raise for Pettersson.  He’s in the final year of a five-year contract signed back in 2020, one that carries a cap hit of just over $4MM.  He’ll add nearly $1.5MM per season to that number now while also landing some extra security.  David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that Pettersson will have a full no-move clause in the first three seasons of the contract.  In the final three years, his trade protection will come in the form of a 15-team no-trade clause.

With this signing, Vancouver now has a little under $76MM in commitments for next season, per PuckPedia.  Included in that is nearly $27MM in spending on their top five blueliners with Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, Tyler Myers, and Carson Soucy all signed through at least 2025-26 as well with the latter now in trade speculation.  That should only intensify with Pettersson now guaranteed to be sticking around for the long haul.

Afternoon Notes: Hughes, Pederson, Puljujarvi

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A busy day across the NHL has started with bad news in Vancouver. Vancouver Canucks superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes won’t travel with the team for their Thursday matchup against the San Jose Sharks, per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor. This will be Hughes’ third straight absence due to a lower-body injury. This is just a one-game road trip for Vancouver. Hughes was red hot prior to injury, with 14 points over his last 10 games and over 25 minutes of average ice time. Hughes’ absence was preceded by Vancouver’s acquisition of veteran defenseman Marcus Pettersson and rookie Victor Mancini. The Canucks still triumphed without their Norris Trophy favorite on Tuesday, beating the Colorado Avalanche 3-0. Pettersson and Tyler Myers each carried extra minutes in Hughes’ absence.

Despite coming off a win and setting up to face a last-place Sharks team, the Canucks are still going to sorely miss Hughes. He has been a force this season, currently sitting with 59 points in 47 games – a mark that leads both the Canucks and all NHL defensemen. He’s once again a favorite for the Norris Trophy, which he won last year, and an emerging candidate for the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. Hughes has notably played through injury this year, including a hand injury at the turn of the year. He’s still tracking for a 100-point season despite that, and will be aiming to get quickly back to that pace once his lower-body injury subsides. Hughes is currently listed as out day-to-day.

Staying in Western Canada, the Edmonton Oilers will be without depth forward Lane Pederson for the remainder of the season after he underwent a successful shoulder surgery. Pederson managed an impressive 12 points in 18 AHL games before falling to injury. He’s been a hot scorer in the minors for a few years, netting 24 points in 18 games in 2022-23 and 52 points in 66 games last year. He was rewarded with 27 NHL games in 2022-23 – split between the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets – but recorded a moot six points and 26 penalty minutes. Pederson will now focus on working his way back to full health in advance of next season’s training camps, where he’ll work to climb up an NHL call-up chart.

Jumping to the East coast, the Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned forward Jesse Puljujarvi to the minor leagues. The former top-10 pick has been a healthy scratch in three of Pittsburgh’s last four games. This will be his second stint in the minor leagues, after spending a brief, three-game trip with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in late January. Puljujarvi recorded three points and a minus-two in the appearances – far more production than he’s managed at the NHL level, where he only has nine points in 26 appearances. The routine trips to the minor leagues are the start of a poor pattern for Puljujarvi, who joined the Penguins partway through last season in an effort to maintain his NHL career. He’s struggled to do that up to this point, and will now be tasked with trying to find his groove once again with a productive stint in the minor leagues.

Canucks Reassign Linus Karlsson, Recall Nils Åman

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The Canucks swapped depth forwards on the active roster Wednesday, reassigning Linus Karlsson to AHL Abbotsford and recalling Nils Åman in his place, per a team announcement. Their active roster remains full.

Karlsson, 25, has suited up in seven straight games for the Canucks, adding to his first two appearances of the season in December. He’s scored once in his nine combined appearances, notching a plus-one rating and eight shots on goal while averaging 9:59 per game.

The 6’1″, 178-lb forward can play both wings but has routinely skated on the right this year with Nils Höglander at left-wing and either Teddy Blueger or Elias Pettersson down the middle. His possession impacts haven’t been significant, controlling only 48.9% of shot attempts at even strength despite a 59.6 oZS%.

In the minors, the former Swedish Hockey League Rookie of the Year has produced over a point per game with Abbotsford since the beginning of last season. His 18 points in 17 games this year are good for a team-leading 1.06 per game, still ranking third with 12 goals despite his significant time spent on the NHL roster. He had 60 points in 60 AHL games last year to lead the team in scoring.

Karlsson was a third-round pick of the Sharks in 2018 but was acquired less than a year later in a swap of Swedish prospects, sending out Jonathan Dahlén the other way. He’s now in his third professional season in North America after coming over from his native Sweden in 2022.

Åman has far more NHL experience than his counterpart, skating in 116 games for the Canucks over the past three seasons. His role with the club has steadily decreased since appearing in 68 games as a rookie in 2022-23, though, and he’s spent most of the season in Abbotsford with only five NHL appearances to his name. He has two assists and a minus-three rating in that quintet of contests, averaging 10:42 per game and going 10-for-23 on faceoffs.

The 6’2″ center has seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points in 32 AHL games, leading the team in outright scoring. He and Karlsson both came over from the SHL in the same offseason, although he was signed as a free agent after the Avalanche, who selected him in the sixth round in 2020, relinquished his signing rights.

With only 12 forwards on the roster, Åman will presumably draw into the lineup Thursday against the Sharks for the first time since Nov. 9.

Canucks, Sharks Discussed Cody Ceci Trade

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The Sharks nearly dealt pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Cody Ceci to the Canucks before sending him to the Stars along with Mikael Granlund over the weekend, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said Tuesday.

Evidently, Ceci was a backup plan for Vancouver in case they couldn’t pull off their Friday evening two-part blockbuster, sending J.T. Miller to the Rangers before flipping a newly-acquired first-round pick to the Penguins as part of a deal to land Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. It was discussed enough that “some folks within the San Jose Sharks organization thought [he] was going to Vancouver” earlier in the day, Pagnotta said.

Despite their Pettersson pickup (not to be confused with Elias Pettersson or the other Elias Pettersson), it can be assumed the Canucks are still looking to add another defenseman – especially a righty like Ceci. While he’ll be finishing out the year in Dallas, the Canucks are now believed to be shopping lefty Carson Soucy, who’s been playing on his off side, as they look to realign their blue line and perhaps look for a more cost-effective solution behind Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers on the depth chart.

While Vancouver has plenty of immediate cap space (over $12MM), Soucy has one year left on his deal at a $3.25MM cap hit. That’s a decent chunk of change that would be better spent as flexibilty in extension talks with their newest Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Pius Suter, and Kevin Lankinen.

Next up on the Canucks’ wish list would likely be the Canadiens’ David Savard, who carries a pricier $3.5MM cap hit but is on an expiring deal and could be made more affordable with salary retention. They’d likely need to find another deal for Soucy or pull the trigger far enough in advance for Montreal to flip him again before the deadline, though, as his role for next year would be muddy with up-and-comers Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher pushing for full-time NHL roles.

Canucks’ Carson Soucy On The Trade Block

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks have made defenseman Carson Soucy available via trade after signing the veteran to a three-year contract just two summers ago in free agency. Soucy came over to the Canucks on July 1st, 2023, inking a three-year contract worth $9.75MM. The contract included a full no-trade clause until the end of this season, which will turn into a modified 12-team no-trade clause this summer.

The 30-year-old missed 42 games last year because of injuries and posted just two goals and four assists in 40 regular season games. His playoff numbers were significantly better as he tallied a goal and four assists in 12 playoff games. This season has once again been a struggle for the Irma, Alberta native as he has just eight points in 51 games to go along with a -15 plus/minus.

With Vancouver’s addition of defenseman Marcus Pettersson from Pittsburgh and some improved play from other Canucks defensemen, Soucy has been pushed down the depth charts and has been a healthy scratch as of late.

His contract could prove difficult to move, even without the NTC, which will certainly complicate things. Soucy would be a tough trade even without it due to his play not lining up with his cap hit. Soucy was once considered a solid penalty killer, but this season, that has fallen off a cliff. His underlying numbers have also taken a nose dive as Evolving-Hockey’s (subscription required) all-in-one goals above replacement stat ranks Soucy as the worst defenseman in the NHL (by that metric) and the third worst skater overall, giving him a -9.4. This means he has cost Vancouver 9.4 goals against compared to a replacement-level NHL player.

Given those numbers, it is easy to see why he has fallen down the depth chart and it is likely also why he finds his name in trade rumors as we inch towards the NHL Trade Deadline.

Canucks Notes: Miller, Trade Chatter, Hughes

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In today’s episode of ’32 Thoughts’ with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Vancouver Canucks and their recent trade activity were the center of attention. Friedman originally broke the news that the Canucks were trading forward J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers on Friday night, and Friedman provided even more context to the move.

Friedman reported that a players-only meeting happened during Vancouver’s early road trip to Florida in mid-October. This meeting addressed the rift between teammates Miller and Elias Pettersson. While the Sportsnet insider did not disclose which players led the discussion, the focus was on encouraging Miller and Pettersson to improve their relationship for the team’s betterment.

Ultimately, Miller’s relationship with Pettersson didn’t significantly improve, prompting him to take a month-long leave of absence. Friedman noted that when Miller returned in mid-November, the Vancouver organization had committed to trading him at some point this year.

The news from Friedman contradicts many of the reports surrounding Miller in December. In early December, Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic reported the Canucks had publicly asserted they wouldn’t be trading Miller, and that he wouldn’t be requesting a trade from Vancouver.

As things turned out, Miller was indeed on the chopping block, being sent to the Rangers for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a protected 2025 first-round pick. Vancouver quickly moved the first-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins later that evening to acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Friedman believes that will be the only first-round pick the Canucks will trade this season.

After last night’s overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver is 23-18-11 through 52 games and is two points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Given their status as a bubble team at the moment, the Canucks’ first-round pick has a higher value than most prospective buyers as it could realistically become a lottery selection by the end of the year.

The Canucks are aware of this and have reportedly told interested teams they have no interest in moving their first-round pick unless they have a comfortable spot in the standings by the trade deadline. Vancouver traded their 2024 first-round pick to the Calgary Flames last season in the package for Elias Lindholm making it the first time since 2021 that they hadn’t made a first-round selection.

Vancouver’s position as a playoff contender may impact captain Quinn Hughes’ participation in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off starting next week. Hughes suffered a hand injury in the team’s recent game against the Dallas Stars, keeping him out of the lineup of last night’s contest. Friedman noted in his podcast that although no decision has been made, Vancouver could ask to withdraw from the tournament with Team USA to focus solely on getting healthy for their playoff run.

As arguably the team’s top defenseman, it would be a major blow to the American’s odds of winning the tournament. Still, Team USA has an easy choice for his replacement should he bow out in Washington Capitals’ blue liner, John Carlson.

Canucks Activate Kiefer Sherwood

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The Vancouver Canucks have activated forward Kiefer Sherwood off of injured reserve. Sherwood has missed Vancouver’s last four games with an undisclosed injury. His return brings some sense to Vancouver assigning Aatu Raty and, after he cleared waivers, Phillip Di Giuseppe to the minor leagues.

Sherwood is expected to return to the lineup in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. He’ll join a lineup full of new faces, including recent trade acquisitions Marcus Pettersson, Victor Mancini, and Filip Chytil. Sherwood should maintain his role on the team’s third line despite the lineup shuffle. He’s been one of the brightest performers in Vancouver’s bottom-six, boasting 13 goals and 21 points in 47 games this season. Sherwood has also recorded a staggering 273 hits – while no other Canuck has managed even 100 (Noah Juulsen has 99). In fact, Sherwood’s lofty hit totals lead the entire NHL by nearly 80 hits – with Philadelphia’s Garnet Hathaway ranked second with 197 hits. So long as he maintains his current hit pace, Sherwood is on track to finish the season with 453 hits – which would stand as an NHL record.

Sherwood has doubled down on the role of goal-scoring wrecking-ball after recording 10 goals, 27 points, and 234 hits in 68 games with the Nashville Predators last season. He seems to be finding plenty of comfort in his first year with the Canucks, sat just seven points shy of surpassing his career-high in scoring from last year. This news sets him up to continue pursuing new scoring heights, and the hit record, in a Canucks roster with plenty of minutes opened up by the trading of top forward scorer J.T. Miller.

Canucks Assign Aatu Raty, Waive and Assign Phillip Di Giuseppe To AHL

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2/2: Di Giuseppe has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the minor leagues, per Ben Kuzma of Postmedia.

2/1: Following their two trades from Friday night, the Canucks continue to tinker with their roster.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have placed winger Phillip Di Giuseppe on waivers.  Additionally, they have assigned center Aatu Raty to AHL Abbotsford.

Di Giuseppe is on the wire for the second time this season after passing through unclaimed back at the beginning of October.  The 31-year-old spent the first two-and-a-half months in the minors with Abbotsford but was limited to only four games due to injury.  He was recalled in mid-December and aside from a brief papering down over the holiday break, he has been exclusively with Vancouver since then.

Di Giuseppe has played in 20 games with Vancouver so far this season, picking up a goal and five assists along with 54 hits while averaging 11:34 per game.  He has 101 appearances with the Canucks over the past three seasons, picking up 28 points while averaging nearly two hits per contest as he has had several opportunities in their bottom six.  Di Giuseppe is in the final season of a two-year, two-way deal that sees him receive the league minimum of $775K in the NHL and $500K in the minors.  He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

As for Raty, he has had five separate stints with the big club this season, the most recent of which started on Tuesday.  The 22-year-old has two goals and two assists in 21 games with Vancouver, playing almost exclusively on their fourth line.  That hasn’t been the case in the minors, however, as Raty is averaging a point per game on the farm with eight goals and 15 helpers with Abbotsford.  He’ll return to a much more prominent role with them for now but will almost certainly be among the top recall options whenever injuries arise once again.

Canucks Recall Victor Mancini

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The Vancouver Canucks have moved to get the full benefits of their recent trade by recalling defenseman Victor Mancini from the minor leagues. The Canucks acquired Mancini alongside centerman Filip Chytil and a protected 2025 first-round draft pick from the New York Rangers on Friday in exchange for J.T. Miller, Erik Brannstrom, and prospect Jackson Dorrington. Miller was a late scratch in Vancouver’s Friday game and made his second debut with the Rangers on Saturday – netting two goals on six shots. Sunday’s game against Detroit will mark Chytil and Mancini’s first chance to debut with their new club.

A move to Vancouver will mark some of the first Canadian games of Mancini’s career. He grew up playing youth hockey across Michigan, before briefly joining the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede and U.S. National Team Development Program in 2018-19. He moved to Sweden for his age-17 and age-18 seasons – 2019-20 and 2020-21 – joining Frolunda HC’s youth program and becoming the first non-Swede to captain the U20 team in his latter season. Mancini scored 24 points across 57 games with Frolunda’s U20 club, which wasn’t enough to convince teams to draft the stocky defender in his first years of draft eligibility – 2020 and 2021. That prompted a return to the United States, where Mancini was finally able to earn a fifth-round selection in 2022 after a strong freshman season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He played one more year with the Mavericks before turning pro with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Mancini worked his way into an NHL debut earlier this season. Over the last two years, he’s totaled five points in 15 NHL games and 13 points in 30 AHL games.

Mancini is the son of prolific USA Hockey manager Robert Mancini. The eldest Mancini began his hockey career as an assistant coach with Lake Superior State University and Ferris State University from 1985 to 1992, then elevated to Michigan Tech’s head coaching role for the next four seasons. He stepped down from collegiate coaching in 1996 and began serving as an assistant coach, director of player personnel, and eventually a head coach for Team USA at U17, U18, and U20 tournaments – as well as joining the team at the World Championship in 1997 and 1998. He then took on scouting with the Edmonton Oilers for four years, became the general manager and head coach of the Saginaw Spirit  for three years, returned to Edmonton as a development coach, then moved to South Africa to coach the country’s men’s national team for four years. He supported South Africa’s climb to Division 2B, then operated as Romania’s U20 GM in 2018. Robert has since retired from his management career, but now gets to watch his only son suit up for what used to be his division rival.

Victor Mancini will likely slot into Vancouver’s third pairing, competing with Derek Forbort for minutes. That would slot him immediately behind fellow new acquisition Marcus Pettersson, who will also make his Canucks debut on Sunday. The duo are both welcome depth behind superstar defender and Hart Trophy candidate Quinn Hughes, who has dealt with nagging injuries throughout the season.

Vancouver Canucks Acquire Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor

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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.

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