After trading JT Miller a few hours prior. General Manager Patrick Alvin was still busy working the phones. The Canucks made another splash trading for defenceman Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor from the Penguins. Vancouver sent the first round pick they got from the Rangers along with Vincent Desharnais, Danton Heinen and 2023 3rd round pick Melvin Fernstrom. There’s just something so funny about the Canucks essentially trading Miller for another Pettersson. Well this Pettersson is also pretty good. Some casual fans might not know about Marcus Pettersson. But that’s ok. That’s what this article is for.
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has acquired defenceman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Danton Heinen, defenceman Vincent Desharnais, the rights to forward Melvin… pic.twitter.com/WxHPGna29f
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 1, 2025
When you think of the Penguins defenceman the first names that come to mind are Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang. Rightfully so, but Marcus Pettersson might be the most complete defenceman they had. He’s averaging 22:03 of ice time while playing well on both ends of the ice. This should make Quinn Hughes’s life a lot easier. Pettersson only has one year left on his contract and is definitely someone the Canucks should extend. He will become the Canucks number three defenceman and adds depth to the blueline.
Patrick Alvin did something very similar when he traded Bo Horvat to the Islanders. But not as instant. Trading the first round pick he got for a top-four defenceman. I’ve wanted the Canucks to trade for Pettersson since the beginning of this season. Especially since the Canucks didn’t add any quality defenceman in free agency. They needed to get another top four defenceman and they did.
The Canucks dumped two players who weren’t playing well to get an upgrade on defence. This is one of the reasons I love Alvin. If a player isn’t performing he gets rid of them to improve the team it doesn’t matter how long they’ve been there. If you aren’t helping the team win you aren’t an asset. This is the sign of a great general manager. The Canucks now have three Petterssons on the roster and look to get hot at the right time.