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Former Penguin Expected to Make Big Impact on New Team
Photo credit: Edit from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson is now a member of the Vancouver Canucks, and NHL analyst Lukas Bernasiewicz believes he will make a big impact.
The 2025-26 NHL season is about to get in full swing shortly, and the Vancouver Canucks are upbeat about what's to come. Following last season's disappointment, a playoff appearance must be the norm going forward.
A successful playoff run is all about good defense, and Vancouver comes with the correct blend of veteran NHL players with some newer stars, too, with a former Penguin in the mix.
Captain Quinn Hughes leads this team, the best Canuck of last season and the 2024 Norris Trophy winner. Hughes is the pulse of the Canucks blue line with world-class skating, laser-sharp passing, and solid defensive abilities.
He will again be the back-end quarterback, making plays on offense and being extremely consistent in his own end.
Aside from him, Tyler Myers and Marcus Pettersson are two shutdown defensemen who are reliable for this Canucks team.
The Penguins Traded Marcus Pettersson to the Canucks in January
Marcus Pettersson, formerly a Pittsburgh Penguin, was acquired by the Canucks last season to provide defensive stability to the team and will be an elite even-strength asset, and can be used on the penalty kill, too.
Pettersson is expected to make big strides next season, according to NHL analyst Lukas Bernasiewicz of 'The Hockey Writers."
"The Canucks also now have two great shutdown defenders in Tyler Myers and recently acquired Marcus Pettersson. These two players are great at limiting chances for the opposition, and having them play together at either 5-on-5 or the penalty kill will be huge for the Canucks."
- Lukas Bernasiewicz
- Lukas Bernasiewicz
Hughes will lead the way, followed by Filip Hronek, and then the Myers-Pettersson duo shutting down the other team's best forwards should make the Canucks' defense much stronger on paper, more than it's been in years.
With their youngsters on defense growing in the right direction, Vancouver will possess the defensive core needed to return to the playoffs, hopefully sooner rather than later.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 16 | 15 ANSWERS Former Penguin Expected to Make Big Impact on New Team Will Marcus Pettersson have a career year? | ||
| Yes | 8 | 53.3 % |
| No | 7 | 46.7 % |
| List of polls | ||