The Vancouver Canucks made a blockbuster deal and traded away one of the top defencemen in the league, Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes. On the surface, it looks like Vancouver has decided to dump big contracts or players who will need sizeable contracts in the near future, like Hughes. If this is the case, then the Montreal Canadiens should be able to fix their centre issue with another blockbuster deal for Elias Pettersson.
Canadiens Need to Improve at Centre
It’s no secret that the Canadiens are weak at the centre position with Nick Suzuki as their first-line centre. After Suzuki, however, they have a rookie, Oliver Kapanen, as the second-line centre, with Joe Veleno and Jake Evans rounding out the bottom six. Kapanen is playing very well in his position, but might provide the Habs with deeper lines if he were the third-line centre. This can only happen if Montreal goes out and acquires a bona fide second-line guy, either short-term or long-term.
There have been a few rumours connecting the team to Steven Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators. Trading for one of these two would be a short-term fix; a long-term fix is what they really need, and Vancouver’s Pettersson would be a perfect match.
Pettersson has 22 points in 28 games for the Canucks, but has been out of the lineup since Dec. 5. An MRI was done, but revealed no significant injury. With the Canadiens already missing Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook due to long-term injuries, Pettersson would be a perfect replacement and give the Habs two formidable scoring lines. This move would improve the entire lineup before and after the injured players return. A lineup right now could look like this:
- Zachary Bolduc – Suzuki – Cole Caufield
- Juraj Slafkovsky – Pettersson – Ivan Demidov
- Alex Texier – Kapanen – Josh Anderson
- Brendan Gallagher – Evans – Valeno/Owen Beck
When players return, it looks even better:
- Bolduc – Suzuki – Caufield
- Slafkovsky – Pettersson – Demidov
- Newhook – Kapanen – Dach
- Gallagher – Evans – Anderson/Patrik Laine
This is barring no one in the current forward group is moved in a trade.
Pettersson Has a No-Move Clause
The biggest hurdle to the Canadiens acquiring Pettersson would be his no-move clause (NMC). Montreal or Vancouver would have to convince Pettersson that the trade is in his best interests. With the Canucks seemingly taking steps back and moving towards a rebuild, the team is in a position where large contracts and players getting close to 30 are no longer really wanted. It also means they are not making any runs at the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup, anytime soon.
Related: Oliver Kapanen is the Answer to the Canadiens’ Second-Line Centre Question
The Canadiens would offer Pettersson a team on the rise, only a few moves and improvements away from leaping from “in the mix” to contention. Pettersson would be one of those improvements and instantly give Montreal an offensive boost. He is signed to an eight-year, $11.6 million contract, which would be the largest on the Canadiens and runs until 2031-32, two years longer than any other contract. He will be 33 at the end of his contract, so Pettersson would be in the prime of his career for most of his time in Montreal.
Canadiens May Need to Give to Get
It probably won’t be cheap for the Canadiens to pry Pettersson from the Canucks, but it may not be as bad as we think. The Canadiens have a few prospects they can move and, of course, a first-round pick they can dangle if need be. They also don’t need to rush anything if they don’t want to, as we know general manager (GM) Kent Hughes doesn’t make a move unless he knows it will improve the team. In the Hughes deal, they got a top young centre prospect in Marco Rossi, so Michael Hage may not be needed to make this deal.
A young prospect will have to be in any package for Pettersson, and if Hughes can pull it off, defenceman Adam Engstrom could be part of this package. The Habs are loaded on the left side and would benefit from trading from a position of strength. I believe, and Canucks fans may call me out on this, but the Canadiens could get a deal done by trading Owen Beck, Engstrom and a first-round pick. Pettersson’s contract and current injury could devalue him. At worst, the Habs may have to give up Kapanen or Hage. If that’s the case, I’d reduce the pick to a second-round pick (if Hage is in the deal, I walk away, but I’m not the GM).
All this is just speculation; we have no idea what the Canucks will want for Pettersson, but we do know Hughes won’t give up too much, and Pettersson’s contract and NMC will be a significant factor. Let me know what you think and what it would take to acquire Pettersson.
