Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded, the offseason is officially underway.
The NHL Draft is just over a week away, and the start of free agency isn’t long after that. Trade activity is already picking up, with Nashville and Colorado, and San Jose and Buffalo already making trades.
And if you listen to some of the chatter around the league, forward Elias Pettersson is on the market by the Vancouver Canucks.
If you ignore his contract, Pettersson’s production is decent enough to certainly have suitors. In 74 games last season, he scored 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points. But when you factor in the price tag, six more years at $11.6 million per, that point total looks a lot less attractive.
The relationship between Pettersson and the Canucks has steadily gone downhill over the last few seasons. Now, two years after signing that ill-fated extension in 2024, it feels like it might finally be time for both sides to shake hands and part ways. His contract is virtually buyout-proof, so any departure of Pettersson from Vancouver would require a trade. That’s where the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas might come into play.
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