Five trade destinations to watch for Penguins’ Marcus Pettersson

Credit: Jan 17, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson (28) waits for the face-off during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

With just more than five weeks until the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline on March 7, we’re delivering at least one deadline-focused story every day at Daily Faceoff.

Today, we look at possible landing spots for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson.

2025 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 36 days

Sometimes, trades are complicated to execute. Three teams converged to conjure the elaborate Rantanen/Hall/Necas blockbuster last week. The J.T. Miller saga drags on partially because he has so much term left at an $8 million AAV, which is difficult to move. Rasmus Ristolainen may or may not be dealt given he has multiple seasons left on his deal and his team doesn’t have to rush.

But sometimes, an asset is clean and easy to move. That’s the Penguins’ Pettersson. He’s in his prime at 28 years old. He’s a pending UFA. He carries a manageable $4.025 million cap hit. He’s a proven middle-pair veteran who can work a shutdown role. General manager Kyle Dubas therefore will have no shortage of suitors should he decide to deal Pettersson. There’s nothing prohibitive about his contract aside from his eight-team no-trade list. And it’s safe to expect Pittsburgh will sell him for the right offer given its playoff odds climbed to 1.7 percent with Wednesday’s win. Yep. Not a misprint. Sorry, Sid.

Assuming the Pens come to their senses and realize it’s time to recoup some future assets for their big two-way defenseman, who are the ideal fits? Consider these five destinations for Pettersson.

Detroit Red Wings

Why he makes sense: Um, have you seen the Red Wings play defense? I’ll put it this way: they sit in the NHL’s bottom third in 5-on-5 expected goals against… post Derek Lalonde firing. They’re transformed offensively under new coach Todd McLellan but have a long way to go in their own end, especially on the penalty kill. Pettersson is Pittsburgh’s top workhorse on the PK. He’d be worth acquiring for his contributions there alone, but he’d also be a boon to the left side of Detroit’s defense corps at 5-on-5, providing some badly needed support for promising youngster Simon Edvinsson. Even if Ben Chiarot looks a bit better under McLellan, Chiarot should be on your third pair, not your top pair. The Wings also have plenty of picks and prospects at their disposal and thus would be an easy trade partner for Pittsburgh.

Fly in the ointment: It’s one thing to surrender a mid- or late-round pick for a depth rental and try to push your bubble team toward its first playoff berth since 2016. It’s another to pay what would likely be a significant price to land Pettersson given the demand. Is it worth it for Steve Yzerman to give up a first- or second-round pick and/or decent prospect for a couple months of Pettersson when this group doesn’t have strong odds to make a deep run if it gets in? If an extension was baked into a trade, it would be more interesting.

Florida Panthers

Why he makes sense: After the Panthers lost Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson from their Stanley Cup winning blueline over the offseason and dealt with an Aaron Ekblad injury for part of this season, their depth has been tested. They still rate among the best 5-on-5 teams in the NHL at preventing scoring chances, but their penalty kill has regressed from one of the league’s best last year to below average this season. General manager Bill Zito is an aggressive upgrader more years than not at the deadline, and a Pettersson rental would give their depth a facelift while also not hamstringing their cap space for next season and beyond.

Fly in the ointment: The Panthers would theoretically be a willing suitor based on their team needs, but they wouldn’t be best equipped to win an arms race for Pettersson, having traded away one first-round pick, one second-round pick and two third-round picks in the next three drafts. Their prospect pool is also pretty weak. Zito would have to get creative with an offer to win the bidding for Pettersson. Based on their assets, the Panthers seem like a better bet to pursue a depth upgrade.

Los Angeles Kings

Why he makes sense: The Kings’ glut of options at right defense is well known. It’s one reason they led Matt Roy go in free agency, and they’re getting Drew Doughty back from injury now, too. But the left side could use a boost behind Vladislav Gavrikov and push Joel Edmundson to the third pair. You could argue Pettersson would qualify as overkill for a Kings team that has been elite defensively all season, but GM Rob Blake needs all the depth he can get if he wants his team to finally win a round against the murderer’s row of juggernaut Western Conference opponents. The Kings also still own every one of their picks for the next three drafts save for their 2025 second-rounder.

Fly in the ointment: With Doughty returning and his $11 million coming off LTIR, most of the Kings’ cap space dries up. Even though Pettersson’s cap hit is reasonable, it wouldn’t fit on L.A.’s books without money going out and/or some salary retention, be it from the Penguins or a third-party broker.

Vancouver Canucks

Why he makes sense: The Canucks generate 56.9 percent of the scoring chances with superstar blueliner Quinn Hughes on the ice at 5-on-5. When he’s off the ice: 41.7 percent. That is an unbelievable discrepancy. It validates Hughes’ very real Hart Trophy argument, but is also highlights Vancouver’s glaring need for help on their D-corps. They do employ established veterans on their left side in Derek Forbort and Carson Soucy, but the group doesn’t get it done without No. 43 on the ice, period. The Canucks have the necessary complement of draft picks to pursue someone like Pettersson, and while their prospect pool isn’t elite, it’s just good enough that they could conceivably mine a player to entice the Pens.

Fly in the ointment: Who are the Canucks? Are they contenders? Are they about to be demolished as they sort the J.T. Miller/Elias Pettersson drama with a blockbuster trade? It feels like GM Patrik Allvin and president of hockey ops Jim Rutherford need to resolve that situation before entertaining any type of buyer deal – especially because that will determine how much cap space they have leading up to March 7.

Winnipeg Jets

Why he makes sense: I’ve stated previously that it’s an all-in year for Winnipeg – unexpectedly. It seemed like that was last year but, despite their key rentals from last winter departing in free agency, they remain a powerhouse in the West. With their top players in their primes and Nikolaj Ehlers headed for free agency, it makes sense for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to take another big swing. He’s well equipped to do so, armed with all his first-round picks and a respectable prospect pool to boot. They could use a middle-pair left defenseman, especially when their PK has been so-so all season. They have the cap space to make a big move, currently projecting for more than $11 million at the deadline.

Fly in the ointment: Winnipeg has more than one need. Second-line center is arguably their higher priority. If they decide to big-game hunt for someone like Brock Nelson, the asset spend would be high, so they’d risk decimating their pick and prospect supply if they chase top-end upgrades at both positions.

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