Canucks reportedly interested in Penguins' top pairing defenceman

There are any number of statistics you can use, to explain why the Vancouver Canucks need help defensively. This includes a team goalie save percentage of .890 which ranks 23rd in the NHL, or a penalty kill net percentage of 80.4 that is 18th, and so on.

The bottom line though is that following Monday night's slate of NHL games, the Canucks are only 20th when it comes to average goals allowed per game, at 3.18. This is a team which just last season ranked sixth in this category, at 2.70 goals per game.

Making all of this more concerning, is that the Canucks are only allowing an average of 27.4 shots per game, which is seventh-fewest in the NHL. Clearly this is not good enough, especially for someone like Canucks coach Rick Tocchet who is such a stickler for defence.

With this in mind, the Canucks need some defensive reinforcements. This is theoretically on the way in the form of Thatcher Demko, but as encouraging as the updates have been of late with the goalie, there is still a degree of uncertainty surrounding when he will actually play again. (And if he will remain healthy.)

Canucks in search of a defenceman

In any event, the Canucks could also stand to boost their blue line via a trade. And according to the latest speculation, they do have one such target in mind.

As per Josh Yohe of The Athletic, (subscription required) league sources indicate the Canucks have interest in Marcus Pettersson. Yohe adds that the defenceman is the most likely candidate to be moved by the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to this season's Mar. 7 trade deadline.

Pettersson certainly makes for an intriguing potential addition to the Canucks. He's coming off his best year yet in the NHL, which included single-season bests of 30 points, a +28 rating, 159 blocks, 26 takeaways, 82 games and an average ice time of 22:40.

Continuing to impress in 2024-25

The 28-year-old is part of the Penguins' top pairing and has good size, albeit he could still do with adding some strength to his 6 foot 3, 177 pound frame. As per Noah Strang of the Daily Hive, he has played the most five-on-five minutes of any Pittsburgh defenceman so far this season and posted the best-expected goals share, helping his team control 56.54 percent of the xG.

Financially speaking, Pettersson is in the final season of his current deal, which has a cap hit of just over $4.025 million. For some context, as per PuckPedia, the Canucks currently have $632,032 of cap space and are projected to have just over $2.257 million at the trade deadline.

While Canucks Patrik Allvin has previously shown an impressive ability to weave magic, the financial aspect still creates a challenge to overcome. In addition, they will have to contend with other teams, with Canadian rivals the Oilers apparently also interested in the Sweden native.

Overall, assuming the speculation is correct, the Canucks are right to be considering Pettersson. Whether they are successful in acquiring the left-shot defenceman though, is another matter entirely.

Recent Posts