February 2, 2025 | 1:12pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

CANUCKS TO BEGIN CONTRACT TALKS WITH PETTERSSON, O’CONNOR

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin

The Vancouver Canucks did not acquire defenceman Marcus Pettersson or Drew O’Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday with the mindset of letting them walk as unrestricted free agents this summer.

Pettersson and O’Connor are on expiring contracts, but the Canucks intend on getting them signed to new deals.

Contract negotiations have not yet begun, a source close to the situation told TFP on Sunday, but those discussions are expected to begin this week.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin and President Jim Rutherford are very familiar with both players, bringing them into Pittsburgh when they were part of their management team, and that may help speed up the process in getting them locked up to new contracts.

“I have not talked to Marcus’ agent. We were travelling today. We just exchanged texts,” Allvin told reporters on Saturday. “It's definitely a priority for us to get him signed. I know Marcus is extremely excited. I think Jim mentioned that he traded for him previously, and Sergei Gonchar worked with him in Pittsburgh, so there is a lot of familiarities with Marcus here.”

It is unclear as to the type of contract both players are looking for, though it is believed Pettersson will command a lengthier extension than O’Connor, with Pettersson’s average annual value hovering around $6 million and O’Connor’s AAV being in the $2 million range, depending on term for both.

The Canucks gave up a first-round draft pick and prospect Melvin Fernstrom as the centrepieces of a deal for both players, a pick they acquired from the New York Rangers in the J.T. Miller exchange.