Marcus Pettersson signed a six-year, $33 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $5.5 million and begins next season.
The 28-year-old defenseman is in the final season of a five-year, $20.125 million contract ($4.025 million AAV) he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 28, 2020. He has no points in two games for the Canucks since they acquired him and forward Drew O'Connor in a trade with the Penguins on Friday for forward Danton Heinen and defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Pittsburgh also received forward prospect Melvin Fernstrom and a conditional pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
"Expectations are high, It's a young, hungry group looking to win every game we can and looking to go forward in the playoffs," Pettersson said Thursday. "It's a young, hungry group, been here a few days now, and really feel involved. … I saw a few of the games in the playoffs last year and how much the city rallies around the team and just great people everywhere, it seems like. So Canadian market is going to be a little bit new than what I'm used to, but I'm really excited. Great people in the city. It's a city that really loves its players, and rallies around them when the time needs and I'm really excited here and to get going."
Selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (No. 38) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Pettersson has 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 49 games this season.
“In just a couple of games, Marcus has already shown us the type of leadership, poise and character that we want in a top-four defenseman,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. “He has a calming influence on the ice, uses his long reach and hockey smarts to break up plays and has a good first pass to help us create more offensively. We are extremely happy to get this deal done and look forward to working with him in both the short term and long term.”
Petterson spent seven years in the Penguins organization, playing under Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford in Pittsburgh.
"It is a big decision. I think a lot for me was the familiarity with the management. I've had them before. I know the way they run a team, and it's people that I know so that that helped me a lot," Pettersson said. "And like I said, a team like this is somewhere I want to be and keep developing. Great coaching staff, great players, young players, hungry players.
"I spent seven years in Pittsburgh and kind of owe them a lot, really grateful for the time there, I got the opportunity to play with some great players. So, I really enjoyed my time there, and I got nothing but good things to say about that organization and all the people there. That being said, I'm really excited to be here, and it kind of felt right away when I got over and I think knowing the management before kind of helped me."
He has 151 points (17 goals, 134 assists) in 493 regular-season games with the Ducks, Penguins and Canucks, and four assists in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"I've always tried to be myself. I try to be as vocal as I can and help everybody," Petterson said. "I know some of the guys said a lot of good things about me in Pittsburgh and I'm really grateful for that, and it's not something that I try to go out of my way being, but it's for sure something that's maybe a little bit of my nature. Try to be vocal and like I said, try to be myself. I'm not going to go out there and out of my way and be something that I'm not so great experience so far and looking forward to keep building."
NHL.com independent correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report
