Canucks trade former Oiler Vincent Desharnais for top rental defenceman from Penguins

Marcus Pettersson is a 28 year old defenceman from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was considered one of the top rental defenceman available this year.

The Canucks took one of the first round picks from the JT Miller trade, packaged alongside Vincent Desharnais and Danton Heinen to acquire Pettersson and Drew O'Connor from Pittsburgh.

The Canucks are acquiring two good players, but the centrepiece for this trade will be Pettersson. The Swedish defenceman is having a down year, but has been known for his overall reliable two-way play. Last season he posted career highs with 30 points and an incredible +28 rating on a poor Penguins team.

The Edmonton Oilers were linked to Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor in trade this season, so it may sting the Oilers to see Vancouver pounce on these targets.

Former Oiler Vincent Desharnais had been on the way out of Vancouver since early this year. After signing a 2 year contract for $4M total, the Canucks quickly had buyers remorse when Desharnais struggled with increased ice time.

The Canucks are quickly shaping up to be a much different team after dealing JT Miller. Their defence will improve, but now there's significant questions on offence.

Vancouver will be aiming to get back into the playoffs and turn their season around after finally addressing their locker room drama. We'll see if it's enough to swing the tide, or if it's too little too late.