As the Vancouver Canucks continue to lose themselves and find themselves at the bottom of the NHL standings, the trade chatter surrounding their veteran players is growing louder. Combine that with the fact that GM Patrik Allvin openly admitted yesterday that they are in the middle of a rebuild, and it’s safe to say that more changes are on the way.
The Quinn Hughes trade all but confirmed this, and attention has since turned to the other big names on the roster, most notably Elias Pettersson.
Pettersson has long been rumored to be linked to the Carolina Hurricanes, but according to Patrick Johnston, they aren’t the only potential suitor. In a recent article for The Province, Johnston highlighted two emerging Western Conference teams to watch: the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.
wrote Johnston:
“As I mentioned about a week ago, there have been calls about him. Other teams are still intrigued by him given his strong two-way game. He doesn’t score as much as you would like, but he is an excellent defensive player… A team that needs a top-tier center, someone close to elite but not a true number one, for example, like Chicago or San Jose, who have young superstars as their top centers, would be a good choice.” to fit.”
The 27-year-old Pettersson scored 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 36 games this season. He is in the second year of the eight-year, $92.8 million extension he signed with the Canucks in 2024, earning him $11.6 million annually.
As Johnston notes, landing in Chicago or San Jose would allow Pettersson to move behind Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini, who have been in the spotlight in their respective situations.
Given his struggles since his time in Vancouver, that could be exactly what Pettersson needs to rediscover his game, especially offensively. It has become clear that he cannot be considered a number one option, so pairing him with one of the brightest young stars in hockey, Bedard or Celebrini, would be an ideal situation.
Both the Blackhawks and Sharks have the draft capital, prospects and capital room to make a trade work. While it’s unclear if either team is actually interested in Pettersson, everything is aligning to make both a legitimate landing spot if the Canucks decide to move their star forward.
Next: Canucks admit rebuild is underway: who will be traded next?
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