The Pittsburgh Penguins have begun selling off their unrestricted free agent contracts.
Just hours after the Vancouver Canucks made a blockbuster deal to send star forward J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, they have acquired Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson, per NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman.
The deal will send Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor to Vancouver for a 2025 conditional first-round pick, forward Danton Heinen, defenseman Vincent Desharnais, and forward prospect Melvin Fernstrom.
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.
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Pettersson, 28, and O’Connor, 26, were both pending unrestricted free agents for the Penguins. Pettersson was likely to be one of the top defensemen on the market, while O’Connor’s lack of production made him less likely to stick around beyond this season.
“Moving two long-time Penguins is never an easy decision,” said Penguins GM and POHO Kyle Dubas. “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 condition on the first-rounder is that the Penguins will receive either a 2025 or 2026 first-round pick, depending on which is sent to Vancouver via the Rangers’ trade for Miller. The Rangers’ 2025 first-round pick is top-13 protected, so if the Rangers finish outside of the top-13 in draft order this season, the Penguins will receive their 2025 pick. If not, they will get the 2026.
“The Rangers’ first-round draft pick provides us with another strong asset that we can use to acquire an elite young player in the draft or via trade,” Dubas said.
On the season for Vancouver, Heinen – returning to Pittsburgh for his second stint – has six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 50 games. He is on the hook through 2025-26 for $2.5 million. Desharnais – 28 – has three assists in 34 games this season and has a $2 million cap hit for one more season.
The 18-year-old Fernstrom – a third-round pick by Vancouver in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft – is currently playing overseas in Sweden’s top professional league, the SHL, for Orebro HK. He has three goals and eight points in 35 games.
