NY Rangers Engaged in Trade Talks With Canucks for Defenseman

The New York Rangers remain incredibly active on the trade market, looking to complete a deal with the Vancouver Canucks.

Jan 12, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a Vancouver Canucks logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the second period at Bell Centre. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers have been incredibly active in the hours since NHL free agency got underway.

There have been two signings, with the team agreeing to deals with center Joe Veleno and right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand. Both provide the team with solid depth and experience to help stabilize the roster.

Along with the signings, the Rangers have also completed a trade. They acquired goalie Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins, who will likely compete with Dylan Garand for the No. 2 job behind star Igor Shesterkin.

The deal with the Bruins isn’t the only one that New York is looking to make. In the search for some more help at the blueline, the Rangers are reportedly engaged in trade negotiations with the Vancouver Canucks involving Marcus Pettersson, per David Pagnotta.

Rangers engaged in trade negotations for Marcus Pettersson

Apr 11, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson (29) during the second period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, Pettersson has nine seasons of NHL experience under his belt. He has spent the last season and a half with the Canucks after being acquired via trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 1, 2025.

Pettersson appeared in all 82 games for the Canucks, registering 18 points, scoring three goals while handing out 15 assists. For the first time in his career, he had a negative plus/minus, registering a -19.

That isn’t all too surprising, given how poorly the team performed in the 2025-26 campaign, finishing dead last in the NHL with only 58 points. The next closest team was the Chicago Blackhawks with 72.

It would be interesting to see what kind of return package it would cost the Rangers to acquire the left-handed defenseman. He is in the midst of a six-year deal that pays him $5.5 million annually through 2031.

The Vancouver Canucks and NY Rangers are in talks on a deal involving Marcus Pettersson.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 1, 2026

This isn’t the first left-handed defenseman that New York has been connected to. They were reportedly in the mix for Bowen Byram, who was traded by the Buffalo Sabres to the Blackhawks for a package that included the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

The Rangers were also reportedly making a run at Alexander Nikishin of the Carolina Hurricanes, making an offer that included a first-round pick.

All of this comes after the team used five selections in the 2026 NHL Draft on left-handed defensemen, including No. 5 pick Albert Smits. Vladislav Gavrikov is currently penciled in as the No. 1 left-handed defenseman on the depth chart after agreeing to a seven-year deal with a $7 million annual average as a free agent last summer.