Canucks acquire Pettersson, O’Connor from Penguins

The Vancouver Canucks are staying busy in the trade market while shoring up their blue-line depth.

Hours after trading star centre J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, the Canucks acquired defenceman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team announced.

Going back to the Penguins is Danton Heinen, defenceman Vincent Desharnais, the rights to forward Melvin Fernström and the 2025 conditional first-round pick the Canucks acquired from the Rangers in the Miller trade.

“We are really happy to add to the depth of our team with the acquisitions of Marcus and Drew,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said in a statement. “Marcus has good size, reach, and makes solid decisions with the puck while Drew is an intelligent player with versatility and a bigger frame.”

Pettersson, a pending unrestricted free agent, is a defensive defenceman who is in his ninth NHL season. In 47 games with the Penguins this season, he has three goals and 15 assists.

Current Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford was general manager of the Penguins when Pittsburgh acquired Pettersson from the Anaheim Ducks in 2018.

“He’s just what we need, in my opinion,” Rutherford said in an interview with The Athletic late Friday night after the trade was announced. “You know what he is? He’s just a very, very steady defensively defenseman. You need to have guys like that if you want to win in this league. And he’s one of the really good ones.”

O’Connor, who is also a pending unrestricted free agent, is in his fifth NHL season with the Penguins. This season, he has six goals and 10 assists through 53 games.

Heinen heads back to Pittsburgh where he played for two seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The Canucks signed the 29-year-old forward to a two-year, $4.5 million deal in July. Heinen registered six goals and 12 assists with Vancouver this season.

Desharnais also signed a two-year deal with the Canucks in July after spending last season playing in 78 games for the Edmonton Oilers. But the 28-year-old defenceman never really seemed to get on track in Vancouver and finished his Canucks tenure with just three assists in 34 games.

Fernstrom, 18, was selected by the Canucks in the third round (93rd overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. He was the first player selected by the Canucks in last year’s draft after the team had traded away its higher draft picks in other deals.

Earlier on Friday, the Canucks sent Miller, Erik Brannstrom and the rights to prospect Jackson Dorrington to the Rangers for centre Filip Chytil, defenceman Victor Mancini the conditional first-rounder that is now going to Pittsburgh. The pick is top 13 protected for the 2025 NHL Draft and will become an unprotected first-round pick in 2026 if the Rangers stumble at the end of the season.