Elliotte Friedman weighs in on outrageous Elias Pettersson rumour

It’s a rumour that most Vancouver Canucks fans refuse to believe. But should we ignore what former NHLer Matt Murley said about Elias Pettersson altogether?

Elliotte Friedman didn’t.

Murley, who, along with Colby Armstrong, is the co-host of Chiclets Game Notes, a spin-off podcast of Spittin’ Chiclets, said he heard Pettersson wants to join Connor Bedard with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Do not be surprised if you see Elias Pettersson try to make his way to the Chicago Blackhawks to be with Bedard next year,” Murley said, adding that there’s “a lot of talk” about William Nylander signing with the Blackhawks, too.

“Restricted free agent, though, so I’m not exactly sure how that goes… I could see him moving out of there, and what a spot to go to, and that’s a team that has the cap space, right?”

#RumorBoyz dropped a BOMB on today’s Game Notes 💣📝

📺: https://t.co/Ywqg9EjXsg pic.twitter.com/d0L01XTf0x

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) December 28, 2023

Pettersson’s hesitation to commit long-term to Vancouver was believed to be related to his desire to win, given all the losing the Canucks have done for most of his NHL career. So leaving the Canucks, when they’re near the top of the NHL standings, for a rebuilding team like the Blackhawks doesn’t make much sense on the surface, even with Bedard.

While Murley isn’t a noted NHL insider, Friedman didn’t discredit him on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast today, though he did say the report was “premature.”

“I’ve listened to Matt Murley’s work. He’s not an idiot. He hears things. I’ve seen the stuff that he reports. He gets information. People talk to him,” Friedman said. “[But] I would say about this one, I think it’s premature.”

Pettersson is only a restricted free agent this offseason and remains club-controlled for at least one more year. The 25-year-old star can become an unrestricted free agent in 2025, meaning he has a lot of power in negotiations.

Pettersson is expected to earn above $11 million per season on his next contract, and the Canucks appear ready to buck up.

“I believe that the Vancouver Canucks have decided that when Pettersson is ready, they’re going to throw a significantly sized bag of cash at him. One that might have trouble fitting into a small SUV,” Friedman added. “I think the Canucks have made a decision. They’re gonna do this.”

With 13 goals and 30 assists in 36 games, Pettersson is on pace for 98 points this season and currently ranks 10th in NHL scoring.

Nathan MacKinnon is the league’s highest-paid player by average annual salary, at $12.6 million. He’s followed by Connor McDavid ($12.5 million), Artemi Panarin ($11.64 million), and Auston Matthews ($11.64 million). Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million), David Pastrnak ($11.25 million), John Tavares ($11 million), and Drew Doughty ($11 million) are the only other players who make $11 million or more per season.

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