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Canucks' Elias Pettersson trade update 'wouldn't surprise anyone' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Vancouver Canucks thought they were getting an all-around star when they signed Elias Pettersson to a massive contract extension.
Just a couple years later, they're now potentially hoping they can trade Pettersson for at least a little value in return.
The downfall has been huge for Pettersson, who just hasn't looked like the same player the Canucks felt they were signing.
He was firmly on the trade block before the 2026 NHL deadline in March, and now with the offseason loading, Pettersson is expected to be on the block again.
The Canucks would almost surely have to retain some of his salary, but getting some of it off the books would probably be a win.
The Athletic's Chris Johnston ranks Pettersson No. 10 on his offseason trade board, and it's really the money that is preventing the talented center from being higher on the list.
"The Canucks are still charting their direction under a revamped front office, but there can only be so much patience with Pettersson," Johnston writes. "While new GM Ryan Johnson has spoken about wanting to 'wipe away all expectations,' the fact remains that the Swede is a long way off the performer he was when Vancouver signed him to a $92.8 million, eight-year extension in March 2024. And the Canucks are in the early stages of a rebuild. Pettersson has a massive amount of salary owing and a no-movement clause in his contract, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if a fresh start was in order here."
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To sum up his contract in a different way: Pettersson is owed $11.6 million per season through the 2031-32 season.
If he doesn't improve a bit from the level he's played at most recently, that'll be an absolutely brutal deal to pay out for whoever has it on their books. That could make it tough for Vancouver to move Pettersson.
Still, it's probably worth trying. And there might be a team out there that believes it can maximize Pettersson in a way the Canucks have not.
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