It has been a nightmare season for the Vancouver Canucks. After entering the campaign with the hope of bouncing back, they are currently at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 16-25-5 record and 37 points.
The Canucks have also made a franchise-altering trade this season, as they dealt superstar defenseman and former captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild back in December. Now, based on a new report, Hughes might not be the only big-name player that the Canucks trade this season.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Canucks are listening to trade offers for their top center, Elias Pettersson.
“The Vancouver Canucks are listening and will listen to interest in Pettersson despite believing that if he gets a change of scenery and a new start somewhere else, he is going to thrive in a new environment,” Dreger said.
Hearing that the Canucks are open to trading Pettersson right now is understandable. The Canucks are committing to a rebuild, and the 27-year-old center would have the potential to land them a nice return in a trade.
Also, it is certainly fair to argue that Pettersson could use a fresh start, like Dreger noted. He has had a tough last few years with the Canucks, and that has been the case this season as well. In 38 games this season with Vancouver, he has recorded 13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points, and a minus-13 rating. This is after he had 15 goals and 45 points in 65 games this past campaign with the Canucks.
Yet, with Pettersson being on the right side of 30 and having plenty of past success, there certainly should be teams interested in his services. Just back in 2023-24 with the Canucks, he posted 34 goals and 89 points in 82 games. This was after he set career highs with 39 goals, 63 assists, and 102 points in 80 games with Vancouver in 2022-23.
Pettersson’s Contract Could Make Trade Difficult For Canucks
However, it is also crucial to note that Pettersson has a full no-movement clause for the remainder of his contract. With this, he has complete control over whether or not the Canucks can trade him.
Pettersson’s contract is also one that could create some challenges for the Canucks to move. The star forward has a hefty $11.6 million cap hit until the end of the 2031-32 campaign. With this, Pettersson would not only be an expensive addition for any potential suitor but also a long-term one.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what happens between the Canucks and Pettersson this season. He is now one of the top stars in the rumor mill to watch and has the potential to garner interest from teams looking to improve down the middle.
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