Pittsburgh Review

The Pittsburgh Penguins have completed a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, acquiring several assets in exchange for two players. The deal took place after Vancouver's game against Dallas at the American Airlines Center.

Pittsburgh received a conditional first-round draft pick from the New York Rangers for 2025, forward Danton Heinen, defenseman Vincent Desharnais, and a third-round draft pick in 2024 named Melvin Fernstrom. In return, they traded away defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor to the Canucks.

Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas expressed satisfaction with the transaction, stating that it was part of their strategy to add young prospects and draft capital. "This is the hard part of the business," said Head Coach Mike Sullivan. "But this is the business, and it's Kyle's responsibility and prerogative to try to move our team forward."

Dubas emphasized that both Heinen and Desharnais could contribute immediately to the team while highlighting their long-term strategy. Discussions with Vancouver had been ongoing, as noted by Dubas: “The conversations with Patrik (Allvin) had been ongoing.”

Regarding potential contract extensions for Pettersson and O'Connor, Dubas mentioned that while both players were interested in staying in Pittsburgh, it was decided not to pursue those discussions deeply. “It wasn’t from their lack of desire to be here,” he explained.

Looking ahead to the trade deadline on March 7, Dubas stated: “Going into the deadline, we’re going to continue to have discussions that fit where we are at in our strategy overall.” He also reflected on last year's experiences around this time: “I think last year was very instructive.”

Dubas discussed his vision for moving forward without setting specific timelines: “For me, I don’t ever want to put a timeline on anything because our goal is based on... how much they’ve meant to the city and franchise.”

On Melvin Fernstrom’s ranking during recent drafts, Dubas praised his competitive nature and development path: “He showed an understanding of what the development path was going to be like.”

Overall, this trade reflects Pittsburgh's efforts towards rejuvenating its roster through strategic acquisitions.