Penguins trade defenseman Vincent Desharnais to San Jose for 5th-round pick in 2028

As the 2025 NHL trade deadline Friday afternoon fast approaches, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas has made his opening move.

The Penguins announced Wednesday evening that they shipped defenseman Vincent Desharnais to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2028.

Desharnais, 28, spent just 33 days with Pittsburgh after being traded by the Vancouver Canucks along with forward Danton Heinen for blueliner Marcus Pettersson and winger Drew O’Connor back on Feb. 1.

The 6-foot-7 Desharnais appeared in 10 games with the Penguins, recording no points and averaging 14 minutes, 24 seconds of ice time primarily deployed on the club’s third defensive pairing.

He is on a two-year deal through 2025-26 worth $2 million annually, inked with the Canucks last summer.

The draft pick acquired by Dubas gives the Penguins eight selections in the 2028 NHL Draft.

They possess picks in all seven rounds of that year’s draft as well as the new fifth-round choice.

The Desharnais deal is the third trade of the season orchestrated by Dubas.

In addition to shipping Pettersson and O’Connor to Vancouver for Desharnais, Heinen, a conditional first-round draft pick in 2025 and prospect Melvin Fernstrom, Dubas traded forward Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals on Nov. 12 for a 2025 fifth-round selection and 2027 third-round pick.

Following the Desharnais trade, the Penguins now have 48 NHL contracts for the 2024-25 season, two short of the league limit of 50.