Since Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin and President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford have entered the organization, the team has made three different trades with the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is notable because both Allvin and Rutherford previously held titles with the Penguins organization. Each trade has held some weight within the Canucks organization, whether that’s due to it being a prospect swap or a move to bring in a highly sought-after name. Let’s take a look at all of the trades the Canucks and Penguins have made since Allvin and Rutherford were hired by Vancouver.
October 17, 2023
To Pittsburgh:
F Karel Plasek
D Jack Rathbone
To Vancouver:
F Ty Glover
D Mark Friedman
The first trade Vancouver made with the Penguins after Rutherford and Allvin’s hires was in October of 2023. On the hunt for some organizational depth as well as a new spot for Rathbone, Vancouver acquired Glover and Friedman. The biggest part of this piece was Rathbone, who’d been picked 95th overall by the Canucks in the 2017 NHL Draft. While his ceiling was high as a promising defensive prospect, he never ended up panning out for Vancouver and was ultimately moved. Plasek, a sixth-round selection by Vancouver in 2019, only ended up playing in eight games with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2021–22, returning to Czechia the season after.
Glover, who was born in the UK, spent the past two seasons with the AHL Canucks and the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. He played five games in Abbotsford’s 2025 Calder Cup Playoff run and was able to lift the cup at the end of the postseason as a result of this. Having not been given a qualifying offer by the Canucks, Glover is now a free agent. Friedman, a serviceable depth defenceman, played in a total of 28 games for Vancouver from 2023 to 2025. He was traded to the Nashville Predators for future considerations in February and is now playing for Rögle BK of the SHL.
January 31, 2025
To Pittsburgh:
F Danton Heinen
F Melvin Fernström
D Vincent Desharnais
2025 First-Round Pick
To Vancouver:
F Drew O’Connor
D Marcus Pettersson
This is by far the biggest trade Vancouver and Pittsburgh have completed so far under Rutherford and Allvin. Only hours after J.T. Miller was traded, and an hour after a 5–3 loss to the Dallas Stars, the Canucks made a deal with the Penguins to acquire Pettersson and O’Connor. This came as a surprise to many, as the team had just made a massive deal earlier in the day and weren’t expecting such a quick turnaround.
One of the pieces obtained in the Miller trade, the New York Rangers’ 2025 first-round pick, was sent to the Penguins as part of Vancouver’s package. This package also included Heinen, Desharnais, and Fernström. While Heinen had some decent games as a swiss-army knife for the Canucks, the team ultimately decided to move on from him despite just signing him during the 2024 off-season. The same went for Desharnais, who’d slotted into the lineup a little less and didn’t quite see the same level of success. Fernström, who’d been picked 93rd overall by Vancouver in 2024, was a decent prospect who had a shot at becoming a nifty scorer.
Pettersson and O’Connor were two of three players who made their Canucks debuts the game after this trade, helping the team look noticeably speedier once they hit the ice. O’Connor’s forecheck was evident from the start, while Pettersson’s ability to read plays and utilize his stick for checks also made an impact. The organization was clearly impressed with both players early on, as both Pettersson and O’Connor were signed to extensions less than a month after they were acquired.
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July 13, 2025
To Pittsburgh:
G Artūrs Šilovs
To Vancouver:
F Chase Stillman
2027 Fourth-Round Pick
The most recent trade made between these two teams was on Sunday, when Vancouver flipped goaltender Artūrs Šilovs for prospect Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick. Stillman, who is the brother of former Canuck defenceman Riley Stillman, was selected in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils. A forward, Stillman has spent the past two seasons in the AHL, splitting time with the Utica Comets and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Šilovs, a fan favourite after his efforts in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and 2025 Calder Cup victory, ended up as the odd-man out after both Kevin Lankinen and Thatcher Demko were given contract extensions past the 2025–26 season. The Calder Cup winner and 2025 AHL Playoff MVP will likely get more NHL playing time with the Penguins than what he would have had with the Canucks. At the same time, Vancouver gains a prospect and a pick while not having to trade Šilovs within their conference.
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