Pettersson wants to wait before signing contract extension with Canucks

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson doesn’t appear to be in any rush to sign a new contract with the only NHL franchise he’s ever known.

Making $7.35 million over 2023-24, the final year of a three-year bridge deal signed back in 2021, Pettersson talked to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman about where his head is at in terms of his next contract in Vancouver.

Good morning from Stockholm. Boat ride yesterday with Elias Pettersson. He is dialled in for 2023-24…very, very serious about training and nutrition. More to come, but Pettersson will wait into the season to consider an extension. He wants all his focus to be on starting strong pic.twitter.com/FmecqT890p

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 23, 2023

“I’m not in a rush to sign. I got one more year there and I don’t want to rush into anything,” Pettersson told Friedman.

As a restricted free agent next summer, Pettersson’s only two options are to re-up with Vancouver or sign an offer sheet with another franchise that the Canucks would have the opportunity to either match or be compensated for heavily with a series of draft picks based on the value of the deal.

This past year was Pettersson’s best statistical season yet, putting up 39 goals and 63 assists for a total of 102 points in 80 games.

Pettersson seemed to indicate that he will be back with the Canucks after this season but left the door open for either a long-term deal that would keep him in Vancouver or a shorter deal that would offer him the chance to hit unrestricted free agency.

“I still don’t know myself if it’s going to be short-term or long-term. It’s gonna be probably my biggest contract so far and so I don’t want to stress anything,” Pettersson added. “All summer I’m just trying to prepare myself as much as possible with training, trying to gain a little bit of weight, some muscles, and yeah, especially get off to a good start with a team.”

Back in 2021, Pettersson expressed his desire to play for a team with a lengthy postseason run, something the Canucks have qualified for just once in his five seasons in Vancouver.

“I want to stay there now, but I also want to play for a team that’s winning and has the chance to go far into the playoffs every year,” Pettersson said in a Swedish interview with Hockeysverige reporter Uffe Bodin. “If we have that chance when my next deal expires… I don’t know. I just want to play where there’s a chance of winning.”

At the very least, it seems like the pressure is on for Vancouver’s front office to build a playoff contender around their star forward in order to keep him satisfied in the long run.

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