NHL Trade Rumors: 2 Canadian Teams Linked to Marcus Pettersson

Pittsburgh Penguins top-four defenseman Marcus Pettersson is "as good as gone", writes insider Josh Yohe in The Athletic. Extension talks are going nowhere, and he's a pending unrestricted free agent.

Despite being a rental, he should be in demand given his status as a solid defensive presence the past several seasons, and he should bring back a nice return. As Yohe notes, Pettersson's lack of any trade protection in his contract makes him a prime candidate to be moved, and "I’d be very surprised if he isn’t traded."

Yohe names the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks as two premier teams that are interested in the 28-year-old. Let's run through them:

Vancouver Canucks

This is an interesting one, as the Canucks have other fish to fry at the moment, as they gauge trade offers for one or both of their star centers, the bickering JT Miller and Elias Pettersson. But that's not to say that GM Patrik Allvin isn't also keen on adding a top-four d-man at the deadline. The team will remain without Filip Hronek for some time yet, so Pettersson would be a very welcomed addition to the Vancouver blueline, and even more so after Hronek returns giving them a formidable top-four for the playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers

After losing Philip Broberg to an offer sheet last summer, this is a team that has had adding an impactful defenseman at the top of their shopping list all season. But a funny thing happened along the way in the meantime, as Darnell Nurse has been rejuvenated this campaign on the second pairing, looking much better than last year. But adding Pettersson would just further strengthen Edmonton's backline for the stretch run and the playoffs.