NHL reporter officially links Penguins defenseman to the Vancouver Canucks

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a retooling phase, and Kyle Dubas has been busy moving present assets in for possible future value, and the Vancouver Canucks could be at play here.

Probably the most valuable trade asset approaching free agency is stay-at-home, top-four defenseman Marcus Petterson. The Vancouver Canucks seem set up to be playoff contenders but need upgrades on the back end and they would be a great fit for him.

At 6 feet 4 inches, he's naturally well-equipped for shutdown duties, balancing nicely with some of the more offensively-minded players such as Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang.

He does have the knack to be a pretty good PK'er in that regard, breaking up plays or protecting the zone.

This isn't a huge deal for most teams, but for the Canucks, who have at times struggled to clear pucks under pressure with their second pairing, the poor puck-moving skills paired with the overall lack of elite skating may prove somewhat of an issue.

What the Vancouver Canucks need is a distributor of the puck able to play at the pace of the game, not some oriented defensive player.

Neither Tyler Myers nor Carson Soucy offers a ton in the way of puck movement, so how he fits into the Canucks' second pairing becomes a question.

A pairing with Quinn Hughes could've worked, but that would've meant moving Filip Hronek into a more tenuous position on the second pair, adding more question marks.

That does raise the bar on the Pettersson trade pretty high, and guys like him get a first-round pick back or a package starting with second-rounders.

The Canucks can mortgage some draft picks or even a player in the form of Nils Hoglander. He's an erratic but talented winger who is the mold of what the Penguins need, younger forwards.

Of course, that's just speculation, but with the Vancouver roster, patience might be the best strategy.

Rasmus Andersson or Mike Matheson perhaps become available closer to the deadline, players offering significantly better puck movement, and signed beyond this season. The next few weeks are shaping up to be very interesting.