Jannik Hansen Believes Team Should've Kept First-Round Pick Rather Than Trading it for Marcus Pettersson
Photo credit: Sports Illustrated
Former Vancouver Canucks forward Jannik Hansen believes the team should've kept the first-round pick they got from the New York Rangers, rather than trading it for defenseman Marcus Pettersson.
The final day of January was a very busy one for Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin as he traded away J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and just hours later, acquired Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor from Pittsburgh.
However, instead of acquiring the top-four defenseman, who signed a long-term extension less than a week later, one former Canucks thinks the team should've held onto that first-round pick.
Jannik Hansen thinks Vancouver should've kept first-round rather than getting Marcus Pettersson
In a recent interview on Canucks Central with Dan Riccio and Satiar Shah, former Vancouver Canucks forward Jannik Hansen took a look back at the team's subpar 2024-25 season and discussed one trade he thought Patrik Allvin should've done differently.
Hansen says that he would've rather seen Patrik Allvin hold onto that 2025 first-round pick from the New York Rangers and try to sign Marcus Pettersson as a free agent, if he had made it to July 1st.
"No, because you have supporting players." Hansen said when asked if he liked the team's foundation.
He added, "Yeah, Marcus Pettersson was a good addition, but looking back now, I would rather have the first-round draft pick and hope you can sign him here as a UFA.
It's a wasted asset in my opinion and yeah, I have the luxury of hindsight here, we didn't make the playoffs, we didn't go on a run. Had they gone on a run, it would've been a great deal. Like you brought in a player that puts us over the top and all these things. But right now we're sitting with one first-round draft pick and it's going to be what, 16th, 17th, 18th? Instead of potentially having three, ship off Brock [Boeser], whatever. You don't trade the J.T. Miller draft pick."
He added, "Yeah, Marcus Pettersson was a good addition, but looking back now, I would rather have the first-round draft pick and hope you can sign him here as a UFA.
It's a wasted asset in my opinion and yeah, I have the luxury of hindsight here, we didn't make the playoffs, we didn't go on a run. Had they gone on a run, it would've been a great deal. Like you brought in a player that puts us over the top and all these things. But right now we're sitting with one first-round draft pick and it's going to be what, 16th, 17th, 18th? Instead of potentially having three, ship off Brock [Boeser], whatever. You don't trade the J.T. Miller draft pick."
It's understandable to see the point that Jannik Hansen is trying to make, however, the odds of Vancouver landing Marcus Pettersson as an unrestricted free agent in the summer if they kept the first-round pick are slim-to-none.
Leading up to the trade deadline, Marcus Pettersson would've been one of the hottest commodities on the market in the NHL and whether he stayed in Pittsburgh or was traded somewhere else other than Vancouver, there's a good chance he would've been signed to an extension, like he ended up doing with the Canucks.
It was a sellers market this year and in order to get that top-four defenseman the Vancouver Canucks desperately needed, they had to give up an asset they more than likely wanted to hold onto.
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