Canucks never came close to trading Elias Pettersson, says agent
Heading into the offseason, it looked like there was a strong chance the Vancouver Canucks would trade star forward Elias Pettersson.
As The Athletic’s Thomas Drance put it after speaking to multiple league sources, the Canucks were “motivated to move Pettersson,” with one source characterizing their desire to trade Pettersson as “desperate.”
Obviously, a trade never happened.
And, according to Pettersson’s agent, the Canucks never even came close to trading their first-line centre.
J.P. Barry and his partner Pat Brisson at CAA Sports represent Pettersson and, when Barry appeared on Donnie and Dhali on Friday, he was asked whether he was approached by the Canucks at any time during the summer about waiving Pettersson’s no-move clause.
“No, that hasn’t happened,” said Barry.
"I think everything feels a little bit new in Vancouver right now, I'm looking forward to see how he gets out of the gate.."
NHL Agent J.P. Barry on his client Elias Pettersson, his season ahead, and whether a trade was close this summer.
Full interview..… pic.twitter.com/Ng8fQzHTvf
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) September 11, 2026
The challenge of a potential Pettersson trade, aside from a no-movement clause giving the player partial control of a destination, is the potential cost for the team acquiring him.
“I think it had to be the right deal,” said Barry. “I’ll be honest, trades across the league were very, very hard. There were a lot of other players we thought that might be traded, and there were very few trades. I think it’s getting a little difficult to move a very high-end player.”
Some might argue that Pettersson hasn’t been a “high-end player” for some time, which only increases the difficulty of moving him. There are also those who think Pettersson needs a fresh start with a new team in order to get back to being an elite player.
Barry made the point that Pettersson might be able to get that fresh start in Vancouver.
“I think he’s excited for a new environment and a new change,” said Barry. “It’s on his own team, but I think everything feels a little bit new in Vancouver right now, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets out of the gate.”
Pettersson is reportedly eager to bounce back after a disappointing 2025-26 season where he scored just 15 goals in 74 games.
“He knows he has something to prove,” said Barry. “Based on our discussions with him, he’s not happy with where his game’s been, and he wants to have a bigger impact… This is a really big, big year for him.”