The Canucks had just wrapped up a game in Dallas against the Stars on Friday night when their trade with Pittsburgh was completed (full details here).
Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas praised the job that Director of Team Operations Jason Seidling did to ensure that two of the organization’s newest members — forward Danton Heinen and defenseman Vincent Desharnais — arrived in time for tonight’s 3-0 win over Nashville. They had a quick turnaround, with the players on the move at 5:45 AM.
“It's kind of better that way to get in and you don't have much time to think about it. You just get in and get your feet wet. It's good to be back,” said Heinen, now in his second stint with the Penguins.
Head Coach Mike Sullivan has always been a believer in not paralyzing guys with information, saying they want them to play with a free spirit and have the ability to trust their instincts. But the coaching staff did provide a simple explanation of the team’s foundation.
Heinen, who played for Pittsburgh from 2021-23, spent time with assistant coach Mike Vellucci – who works with the forwards – to get reacquainted.
“You know the guys, you know the area, you know everything. Definitely makes it a lot easier for me. But the coaches pulled me aside, showed me a few clips on the system as a refresher kind of thing—nothing all that new, but good to get a refresher,” Heinen said. “Might take a little bit to adjust back, but tonight was more adrenaline and not so much thinking. I don't know — hopefully I was in the right spots, but I think it went okay."
Sullivan affirmed that postgame, after talking pregame about how Heinen – who scored a career-high 18 goals with Pittsburgh during the 2021-22 season – had a few good looks playing right wing on a line with Michael Bunting and Cody Glass.
“He's got a great shot. He had a couple of great looks tonight. He almost scored,” Sullivan said.
Meanwhile, Desharnais – nicknamed ‘Vinnie’ – met with assistant coach David Quinn, who works with the defense.
"He's very detailed. Right away, he showed me a lot of clips, and I... (laughs)... kind of took a deep breath because I was like, 'Okay, there's a lot going on right now,’” Desharnais said. “But, so far, he's been great. Just a lot of details in his coaching, but he lets you play as well. He understands that mistakes are going to happen, and I'm excited to work with him for the rest of the season.”