Big Stipulation If Canucks Trade Pettersson

It's anyone's guess exactly what the Vancouver Canucks are doing with their franchise. They have plenty of core pieces locked in, but traded Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood for some solid assets. This is a team that could clear out some space ahead of the deadline and retool in the offseason, or just tear it all down.

Elias Pettersson seems to be the deciding factor on that decision. It's not the easiest to move him as his cap hit is $11.6 million AAV. And David Pagnotta said, "Vancouver's not going to retain on that 11.6 million dollar cap hit." Though Pettersson does lead the Canucks with 34 points and has 13 goals, he's played 49 games. When it's bad, it's bad. He's a former 100-point scorer and has hit 30 goals three times in his career.

Pettersson is still a top line center and could be a strong second line center on a good team. He's proven he can play better in international play with better players, so that's a good glimpse of what he could offer another team or the Canucks if they can figure things out in the short term.

There are absolutely teams interested and are really desperate for a top-6 center like Pettersson, such as the LA Kings when they lose Anze Kopitar to retirement after the season. That cap hit for many more years is a big commitment, and for a team that had it not work out with Pierre-Luc Dubois, it's a risk, but something has to be done.

I believe Pettersson can get to the level he was once at again, but it is going to take quite some work to the roster and a better environment in Vancouver if that's going to happen. Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, and more will all have to get back to levels they were at or reach new levels with opportunity with the Canucks around Pettersson. He's not the type of player that can necessarily put a team on his back and win games single-handedly, though he is very good when at the top of his game.

Pettersson's two-way game also adds to his value, but it's also going to take a haul for him to be pulled from Vancouver, and there's no certainty that any team is willing to pay that.