NHL Rumours: Edvinsson Wants Out, Pettersson Bounce-Back & Senators’ Defense Injuries

In today’s NHL rumours, we start off with the Detroit Red Wings and Simon Edvinsson, who reportedly wants a trade out of town. Next, Elias Pettersson has been at the forefront of trade rumours for quite some time, but the Vancouver Canucks have been seeing great play from him so far this season.

Finally, after finishing the season with a decimated blue line, the Ottawa Senators are already missing some key defensemen from their lineup.

Edvinsson Prefers Trade Over New Contract

The Edvinsson storyline took a bit of a back seat to Dylan Larkin’s trade request, but as the regular season approached, it started getting more attention.

There were rumours that there was a short-term contract close to being done at the start of the offseason, but when Steve Yzerman was removed as general manager, that deal went with him. Since Yzerman’s firing, the Red Wings took two months to even name an interim general manager.

Throughout the whole offseason, there was no progress on Edvinsson. There was nobody in position to sign him. For Red Wings fans, and the club itself, there was a lot of reason to be optimistic as Edvinsson reported to camp without his contract.

Since then, there were reports that the two sides weren’t making much progress, and Edvinsson ended up heading back to Sweden and practicing with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Now, according to Elliotte Friedman, the preference for Edvinsson is a trade instead of a new contract.

With a strong baseline set by Zeev Buium’s $9.38 million annual salary, Edvinsson could be looking at an eight-digit number for a new deal.

Pettersson Bounce-Back Start Gives Canucks Options

The league is more fun when a player like Pettersson is firing on all cylinders. After posting 191 points across a two-season span, Pettersson has dropped to just 96 points over the last two seasons. To go from a true superstar to an untradable player that fast isn’t common.

Unfortunately for the Canucks, their rebuild aligned perfectly with Pettersson’s drop-off. The Canucks have sold off most of their valuable assets, including Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, Conor Garland, and others. There have been plenty of reports suggesting the Canucks have tried to move him, but were unable to find a return worth their time.

Now, just three games into the season, Pettersson has a pair of goals and five points. On top of that, his 16 hits lead the entire league.

A hot three-game start isn’t something that defines a player or season, but if Pettersson can get back to his elite play, the Canucks could look to finally move him for a good package of players, picks, and prospects. Their other option would be to keep him. He is young enough and has sky-high potential, which could help fast-track the Canucks’ rebuild.

Sanderson, Zub Injured for Senators

As the Senators pushed for a playoff spot in the dying weeks of the season in 2025-26, they ended up using almost all of their depth defensemen. Now, with the 2026-27 season underway, the Senators are already without their top pairing.

Artem Zub suffered a lower-body injury in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes after delivering a heavy hit, and is still recovering from it, with no timeline on a return. Throughout training camp, Jake Sanderson was injured, and after just four minutes of play in the season opener, he left the game and would not return.

It doesn’t sound like a significant injury for Sanderson, but if the Senators have to go without two of their top defensemen, they could look to the trade market.

The one thing helping them is their depth. Even last season, there were players who shouldn’t have been in big roles, but performed well. If their depth can continue to hold the fort, they can make more rational decisions.

If not, do they look to add? They have been linked to defensemen like Rasmus Ristolainen, Colton Parayko, and others. Now that Simon Edvinsson is looking for a trade, could they look to add him?