Is Marcus Pettersson still worth the price of admission?

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Dec 30, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson (29) defends against Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras (46) in the first period at Rogers Arena.

Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The Vancouver Canucks had some big plans for Marcus Pettersson when they traded for him from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but now the hybrid retool is in place, those plans have changed, would Pettersson still carry the same value as he had last season?

“According to Drance, the Canucks aren’t going to tear this group down completely and are focused on taking a bit of a step back for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign and potentially the 2026-27 season as well.”-Jaxon

Is Marcus Pettersson still valuable.

Stephan Roget of Canucks Army reported on what the trade market would look like for Pettersson. It’s been a difficult year in general for all Canucks players, meaning he probably deserves a better assessment than what he’s currently at. Analyzing his performance last year might also be a better idea than this year.

“When Pettersson arrived in Vancouver, he was pitched as a guaranteed-top-four, borderline-top-pairing defender, and through his 31 games with the Canucks to close the 2024-25 season, he played at about that level. Most folks were pleased with Pettersson’s play in general, and the value the Canucks seemed to achieve in locking him up to a reasonable extension early.”-Roget

It would be hard for the Canucks to swing a first round pick for Pettersson now, just from the damage of this season. But if teams can still look at him as a top four defensemen, than a first rounder is still in the cards. As the season continues and contenders need some depth on defence, it might add to his value. The Canucks definitely shouldn’t rush moving him until the deadline.