Canucks Trade Rumors: 8 Destinations Listed for Elias Pettersson

Vancouver Canucks Centre Elias Pettersson

What is the future for Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson in the midst of another disappointing season? For the second straight year, he's far underperformed on his $11.6 million AAV (and there's still six more seasons to run after this one).

What teams are willing to take on that monstrous commitment, even with a retention of some sort by the Canucks? Per Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin, there are plenty. And for good reason.

"He’s also just 27 and remains blessed with a unique array of skills, from a laser of a shot in the 91st percentile to strong two-way sensibilities. It sure feels like whichever team takes a chance on him will stumble into a resurgent star."

Larkin offers up eight teams that "make realistic sense as suitors" for Pettersson:

Buffalo Sabres
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks

The Sabres are finally at the precipice of breaking their decade-and-a-half long playoff drought, and they won't be stopping now at continuing to push the envelope, says Larkin.

"Aggressive" new GM Jarmo Kekalainen has a history of taking bold swings to get what he wants." He adds that Pettersson's two-way game "would be quite valuable to a Buffalo team that still surrenders too many scoring chances." The Sabres have plenty of young prospect talent to send Vancouver's way in return.

The Hurricanes are always a team to watch when a big name comes available, even a distressed asset like EP40.

The Blackhawks are still early in their rebuild, so having a high-upside talent like Pettersson in the mix for six more seasons would fit their timeline. In fact, writes Larkin, before the Canucks center signed his big extension, "a source close to his camp hinted to me that the Blackhawks were a franchise that interested Pettersson if things didn’t work out in Vancouver."

The Red Wings have the cap space, the prospect and draft pick assets, and "the urgency," says Larkin, pointing out their need for a second-line center.

The Kings are even more desperate for a center, what with Anze Kopitar retiring and Phillip Danault traded.

The Wild are another team aggressively looking for a top-six center, especially after trading Marco Rossi in the Quinn Hughes blockbuster.

And we know they're not shy about pulling off a monster move.

The Flyers could use a true No. 1 pivot, and as a team still on the rise, the six-year remaining commitment to EP40 wouldn't be a problem for them.

The Sharks are already linked to Artemi Panarin, so "why not choose Pettersson," asks Larkin, "who is seven years younger and could be a key contributor to San Jose's core for years to come?"