Penguins trade Marcus Pettersson, Drew O'Connor to Vancouver

The Kyle Dubas 'Fire Sale' has officially begun. The Penguins announced a trade with the Vancouver Canucks late Friday night that sent Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor to the far reaches of western Canada.

With the deal hot off the press, this article will be more objective regarding the pieces involved. Expect an opinionated release in the coming days.

Details on Pettersson and O'Connor

Marcus Pettersson (28) has been with the Penguins since 2018 when he was acquired in a 1-for-1 trade with the Anaheim Ducks for Daniel Sprong.

Pettersson has been the classic defensive-minded defenseman in his time with Pittsburgh. He had 16 goals and 125 assists in 442 games with the Penguins.

This season is the last of Petey's 5-year contract with a $4M cap hit this season, which will come off the books. With Pettersson becoming a pending free agent at the conclusion of this season, he was one of the prime candidates to be dealt.

Drew O'Connor (26) is also in the final year of his 2-year, $925K contract with the Penguins.

In 210 games spanning his entire career in Pittsburgh from 2020-21, O'Connor scored 30 goals and 36 assists (66 points) with the majority of his output coming last season in 2023-24.

The left-handed winger has profiled as a workhorse in his time in the NHL, but the breakout never quite arrived as he averaged just 3rd and 4th line minutes in his five seasons in black and gold.

The Penguins' Return from Vancouver

In the deal, the Penguins acquired former Penguin F Danton Heinen, D Vincent Desharnais, prospect F Melvin Fernstrom, and a conditional 1st round pick that belongs to the New York Rangers.

Danton Heinen (29) is a familiar name for Penguins fans as he had a stint with the black and gold from 2021-22 to 2023. This season with Vancouver he has six goals and 11 assists (17 points) in 50 games played.

He is finishing up the first year of a 2-year deal worth $2.25M per year.

Vincent Desharnais (28) is a 6'7" defenseman playing in his third NHL season. His first two came with the Edmonton Oilers before he signed a 2-year, $4M deal with the Canucks last offseason.

In 148 games Desharnais has one goal and 18 assists (19 points) offensively to go with 218 blocked shots and 234 hits.

Melvin Fernstrom (18) is a Swedish born, 6'1", 185lb forward who was selected by the Canucks in the 3rd round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He is still playing in Sweden and has 11 goals in 12 games with Örebro HK J20.

Fernstrom was ranked as the Canuck's 13th best prospect by McKeen's Hockey dot com before the 2024-25 season.

The conditional 1st round pick in the deal comes from the New York Rangers, who sent it to Vancouver as part of the J.T. Miller trade. The pick is top-13 protected, which is explained here.

As always, we want to know what YOU think! Chime in on our Twitter/X poll @PensLabyrinthFS and tell us what your thoughts are on this trade with the Canucks.