Insider: Elias Pettersson Will NOT Finish Season With Canucks

The on-again, off-again trade rumors surrounding Vancouver Canucks beleaguered center Elias Pettersson are sure to be on again soon enough. 

There were several exploratory calls from teams on Pettersson, but one report indicated that never did the Canucks ask him to waive his no-trade clause, so a deal wasn't really that close. 

But that doesn't mean Vancouver has given up on the prospect of dealing him, according to insider Frank Seravalli, speaking on Oilers Now this past week. Bob Stauffer asked him whether Pettersson will finish this season with the Canucks.

I don't think so.

The Vancouver Canucks have made a concerted effort to—knowing that the return (i.e. a good offer) hasn't been there—spend time rehabbing his game and I think they're trying to get him to enter the season on a better mindset. I have a hard time believing that's going to happen in Vancouver.

But think about how the dynamic has changed on the cap. That means that his cap hit isn't nearly as crazy as it once was. And yes, still very much a risk, but I think teams in the here and now are going to look at it a little bit differently moving forward, and if he can play any better it's going to open up that window a lot wider.

Last season, EP40 got off to a decent enough start, with eight goals 22 points in his first 26 games.  But that fell by the wayside as he posted just 29 more points through his last 48 games, and finished with another mediocre total of 15 goals and 51 points. 

Now, that kind of production, or something similar, can earn a guy a $10M AAV contract in today's NHL (see: Leonard, Ryan). So maybe, as Seravalli alluded to, Pettersson's $11.6M cap hit for another six season "isn't nearly as crazy", after all.

But the Swedish center earned that deal for being a 100-point man (2022-23), and at least an 89-point performer (with a +20 rating) as a follow-up. Since then, in two seasons, Pettersson has averaged 15 goals and 48 points, with a minus-40 rating across those two years. 

Certainly, teams will be keeping an eye on him to see if he returns to somewhat resembling the player he was before he got that massive extension. And, if Seravalli is right, the Canucks will look to capitalize on that and move him out.