The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have signed superstar center Elias Pettersson to an eight-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $11.6 million. The Canucks, along with Pettersson, will hold a press conference later in the day (Mar. 2).
After his name surfaced in trade rumors, it was reported that headway was being made on a contract. Locking Pettersson up long-term was clearly the preferred option by the Canucks, as players like him don’t come around often. After a breakout year of 102 points in 80 games last season, Pettersson is on pace to nearly match that with 75 points in 62 games so far in the 2023-24 season.
Not only does Pettersson offer superstar-level offense, but he also earned Lady Byng votes in four seasons and finished seventh in Selke voting last season.
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Pettersson said: “This is a very exciting day for me and my family. I am very happy to be continuing my career as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. I love this city and playing in front of the fans. We have an exciting group and believe we can do good things in the future. Both Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin have done a great job in building this team and creating a culture, along with Rick Tocchet. And lastly, I want to thank the Aquilini family for this opportunity.”
Moving Forward with Pettersson
It is clear that Pettersson is the centerpiece of this team, along with defenseman Quinn Hughes. The Canucks certainly believe so, as they made him the fifth-highest player in the NHL as of 2024-25. The Canucks have finally started to find the regular season success many knew they were capable of.
The Canucks currently sit one point back of first place in the NHL, and despite their struggling streak as of late, they are showing that they are to be taken seriously. Pettersson was uncertain about his future heading into the season and wanted to wait to see how things panned out. There was speculation that term was the factor holding up the deal as he could have been looking for a contract that takes him close to 30 years old to cash out on one more big contract, but the Canucks stepped up and paid him as he deserves.
The Canucks are in a contention window, and both the team and player have expressed that they didn’t like the contract situation looming over them as they move closer to the playoffs. Finally, getting this out of the way is huge for both parties.
