On the final night of January, Kyle Dubas struck a deal that should have Penguins fans smiling. Pittsburgh is sending Marcus Petterson and Drew O’Connor to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a first-round pick, Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, and Melvin Fernstrom. Dubas keeps racking up wins in the trade department. The rebuild may officially be underway.
Petterson and O’Connor are both set to have expiring contracts at the end of the year for the Penguins. Dubas managing to get a first-round pick out of the trade is a massive win in itself. The best way to start a rebuild is to stockpile draft picks. This could start an avalanche of trades for Pittsburgh.
The Penguins traded for Petterson in 2018 and he spent seven seasons with them. He played 442 games in black and yellow, scoring 16 goals and racking up 125 assists. The defenseman averages 19 minutes of ice time a game, blocking 646 shots and laying 675 hits. O’Connor spent five seasons in Pittsburgh, posting 30 goals and 36 assists in 210 games. He had the best season of his career last season with 16 goals and 17 assists.
In return, Pittsburgh got three players and the first-round pick. The Canucks acquired the pick from the New York Rangers and it is top 13 protected. If the Rangers pick 1-13, they get to keep the pick and Pittsburgh will get an unprotected 2026 first-round pick. If the pick falls anywhere from 14-32, the Penguins will have two first-round picks in the upcoming draft.
The Penguins also reunited with old friend Danton Heinen who spent 2022 and 2023 in Pittsburgh. Since leaving he has played for the Boston Bruins and the Canucks, but all roads lead back to Pittsburgh. In his first stint as a Penguin, he scored 26 goals and posted 29 assists in 141 games. For the Bruins in 2024, he scored 17 goals. This season in Vancouver, he racked up 17 points in 50 games. Now he’s back in the Steel City.
Pittsburgh will also welcome in defenseman Vincent Desharnais who has 148 games of NHL experience. He’s played for the Oilers and the Canucks. Desharnais has played 28 playoff games in his career for the Oilers. The last piece of the trade is Melvin Fernstrom. He turns 19 on February 28th. The Canucks picked him in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft. The right-handed winger is playing for Orebro HK of the SweHL. He has eight points in 35 games.
By collecting the Rangers first-round draft pick in the trade, that puts the Penguins up to 29 draft picks over the next three drafts. That includes four first-round picks and 15 picks in the first three rounds. Many have slandered his name, but Kyle Dubas can cook up a trade. He won the Jake Guentzel trade and now he has won this one too. Rebuilds aren’t easy, but Pittsburgh is trying to get on track to win again soon.
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