5 Trade Destinations For Canucks’ Elias Pettersson

The draft week trade madness has continued, with Alex Tuch going to the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade and the Nashville Predators acquiring Jack Drury. It’s seeming more and more likely that the Vancouver Canucks are, at the very least, taking some calls from interested parties.

Elias Pettersson is an interesting case, as he’s been involved in trade rumours for the past year now. There’s little doubt it’s been a struggle for him to re-acclimate to being a top-flight player after suffering a variety of injuries. The question for acquiring teams is which version of Pettersson they are going to get. He’s broken the 100-point plateau before and previously seemed to be a lock to net 30 goals each season. Unfortunately, his combined points over the last two seasons are below the 100 mark, scoring only 30 goals total in that time frame. 

Still, he’s a solid defensive forward who can have nights where he will put up numbers reminiscent of the good old days, which aren’t very far behind him. Perhaps a change of scenery could rejuvenate him fully and return him to All-Star form.

The previous front office under Jim Rutherford reportedly wanted to try to acquire a centre of similar playing ability to Pettersson, a tall ask for sure. The new front office is apparently more open to differing possible returns, a good sign for a team trying to rebuild.

Which teams could be in the mix for him? Here are five where he might be a fit.

Buffalo Sabres

Luckily for the Sabres, their wheeling and dealing has netted them some assets that they can play around with. Would they give up their shiny new fourth overall pick for Pettersson? Probably not, though retention can do wonders. Considering how crazy the market is right now, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Canucks at least tried to make a call on the pick. The Sabres also could really use an upgrade at centre, as while Josh Norris can score and Konsta Helenius is promising, neither is likely to be a strong number-one centre on a contending team. 

St. Louis Blues

We mentioned the St. Louis Blues as being a possible suitor for Filip Hronek, should he be moved. They have amassed four first-round draft picks, and it’s hard to believe that they plan on making each of those picks. It’s fair to say that the Blues could use some help down the middle, as while Pius Suter is a solid player, he probably isn’t an adequate second-line centre. They traded for Connor McMichael, but it seems that he is more suited for left wing. 

There is definitely a comparison that can be made with the Ryan O’Reilly trade in the 2018 offseason. O’Reilly was clearly not playing his best in Buffalo and almost immediately looked like a new player following the change of scenery. The Blues went on to win the Cup in O’Reilly’s first season, with him earning the Conn Smythe and the Selke Trophy.

This particular rumour has some legs, with insiders linking the Blues as a fit for Pettersson. If the Canucks were to retain some of Pettersson’s $11.6 million cap hit, perhaps two of those picks could be coming back their way? Picking four times in the first round would be an excellent way to begin a full-scale rebuild initiated by a new front office.

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are about to have a major hole at centre when Dylan Larkin inevitably gets his wish and gets traded to a contending team. The Red Wings are also a franchise that Swedish players have found plenty of success with, including Henrik Zetterberg, a Swedish two-way centreman. Obviously, even in a best-case scenario, Pettersson probably doesn’t reach the highs of the former Wings captain, but it’s a fun comparison to make. He also would get to play with his countryman in Lucas Raymond, whose high-upside passing ability could pair well with Pettersson’s lethal shot.

The Red Wings don’t own their 2026 first-round pick, as it belongs to the Blues as part of the deal that brought Justin Faulk to Detroit. This would mean they’d have to be creative in crafting a trade package. Would it be crazy for them to try to swing a three-way trade with Larkin’s potential suitor?

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are another team that is looking to fill a major hole at centre following Anze Kopitar’s retirement. The Kings also lack any real centre depth in their farm system, so it’s not like they’ll get much help from within the organization. Insider David Pagnotta mentioned this trade being a possibility, and it has been in the rumour mill for quite some time now.

The Kings currently hold pick 17, which could be enticing for the Canucks to call about. One may think that the Kings should probably make this pick to stock their depleted prospect pool, but after seeing them work as buyers on the market last trade deadline, it would be surprising if this team were to give up on trying to bring in established impact players.

Boston Bruins

The more that one thinks about the possibility of Pettersson joining the Boston Bruins, the more it seems like a solid fit. The Bruins have quickly gathered a solid core of wingers, but they lack a true top-line pivot until James Hagens fully comes into his own. Pettersson could be this for the Bruins, and he could form a lethal combination with David Pastrnak. This would accelerate the retool and would take some of the pressure off their prospect pool.

Similar to the other teams involved, it feels like the first-round pick in this year’s draft would be part of the ask. The Bruins don’t have the strongest prospect pool, so perhaps they would want to make the pick to see if it can shore up any deficiencies. However, if they want to run it back and compete in the ultra-competitive Atlantic, they will have to enter the arms race.

Could the Canucks Hold Pettersson?

It still seems somewhat likely that the Canucks will try to give Pettersson another chance to prove that his underwhelming production from the past couple of seasons is a fluke. New head coach Manny Malhotra seems optimistic about incorporating Pettersson into his vision, and the front office seems to want to push him to improve. Still, it’s hard to imagine that the Canucks aren’t exploring the best offers for Pettersson, especially with how high a price tag other impact players are commanding.