Penguins trade defenseman Vincent Desharnais to San Jose for a 2028 fifth-round pick
The Penguins have added yet another draft pick to their growing collection over the next few years, acquiring a 2028 fifth-round pick in a trade on Wednesday night.
Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas announced that the team dealt defenseman Vincent Desharnais to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the 2028 pick.
Desharnais' time as a Penguin was short. The team acquired him on January 31 in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks that saw the Penguins send defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor to the Canucks in exchange for Desharnais, forward Danton Heinen, Melvin Fernstrom, and a conditional first-round pick.
The condition on the first-round pick is that it will become a 2025 first-round pick should the New York Rangers get the 14th pick or lower in this summer's draft. If the Rangers pick 13th or higher in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Penguins will get the Rangers' 2026 first-round pick regardless of where it is in that draft.
Desharnais spent just 10 games with Pittsburgh, recording no points, having a plus-minus of minus-4, and four penalty minutes.
The Penguins now own all of their picks in the 2028 NHL Draft, including now an extra fifth-round pick, for a total of eight selections.
As of March 5, the Penguins currently have 28 picks in the next three drafts, including four first-round picks, four second-round picks, and seven third-round picks.
The NHL trade deadline is this Friday at 3 p.m.