Desharnais was traded to the Penguins from the Canucks on Friday, along with Danton Heinen, Melvin Fernstrom and a conditional first-round pick, in exchange for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor.
Desharnais signed with the Canucks as a free agent ahead of 2024-25, but he was ultimately limited to three assists, 54 hits, 48 blocked shots, 34 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 34 appearances. He was unable to carve out a steady third-pairing role after seeing similar usage with the Oilers in 2024-25. Desharnais addresses a minor need for the Penguins as a right-handed blueliner, and he'll bring significant physical force to the third pairing. This will also put Ryan Shea and Pierre-Olivier Joseph on notice for playing time even with another defenseman in Pettersson heading to Vancouver in this deal.