Penguins trade defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor to Vancouver

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Penguins are getting a head start on the trade deadline. 

In a late-night announcement on Friday, the team announced they had traded defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor to the Vancouver Canucks. 

Coming back to Pittsburgh in the trade, is a conditional first-round pick, forward Danton Heinen, defenseman Vincent Desharnais, and forward Melvin Fernstrom. 

The condition on the first-round pick is the Penguins will receive whichever pick the Vancouver Canucks received from the New York Rangers in a trade made earlier on Friday. 

That pick could be a first-round pick in 2025 or 2026. 

“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.”

Heinen is returning to Pittsburgh after spending two seasons with the club between 2021 and 2023. In 141 games played with the Penguins, he scored 26 goals, and 29 assists, for 55 points. 

Desharnais was a seventh-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2016 and has played a total of 148 games in the NHL, scoring one goal, and 18 assists for 19 points, and has recorded 234 hits in that time. 

The final part of the trade, 18-year-old Melvin Fernstrom, was drafted 93rd overall by the Canucks and is currently playing in the top professional league in Sweden, the SHL. In 35 games with Orebro HK, he has scored three goals and five assists for eight points.