Pittsburgh Review

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a significant trade, acquiring a conditional 2025 first-round draft pick from the New York Rangers, along with players Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, and Melvin Fernstrom from the Vancouver Canucks. In return, the Penguins traded defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor. The announcement was made by Kyle Dubas, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Penguins.

“Moving two long-time Penguins is never an easy decision,” said 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.”

As part of this deal, Pittsburgh will receive either the New York Rangers' 2025 or 2026 first-round draft pick that Vancouver secured in an earlier trade with New York.

This acquisition adds to Pittsburgh's growing number of draft picks, now totaling 29 over the next three NHL drafts. This includes four first-round selections and 15 picks within the first three rounds—more than any other team during this period.

“Tonight’s trade continues to move us in the direction set one year ago which is to continue to add young prospects, young players, and draft capital to the Penguins as we chart our course to return the club back into contention as urgently as possible,” said Dubas. “We are pleased to add Danton Heinen back to the Penguins and Vincent Desharnais to the club and look forward to seeing both in uniform in the coming days. The addition of Melvin Fernstrom also gives us a prospect that was highly regarded at the 2024 NHL Draft, and 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.”

Heinen returns for his second stint with Pittsburgh after playing there from 2021-23. His contract runs through 2025-26 with an average annual value of $2.25 million. He has accumulated 229 points across nine NHL seasons.

Desharnais is signed through 2025-26 as well, carrying an average annual value of $2 million. In his third NHL season, he has played in 148 games.

Fernstrom is currently playing overseas in Sweden's top professional league with Orebro HK. At just 18 years old, he has already represented Sweden at international competitions.

This strategic move by Pittsburgh aims at strengthening their future prospects while maintaining competitiveness in upcoming seasons.