Price is Right: How expensive could Elias Pettersson's next contract be for the Canucks?

All eyes are rightfully on Bo Horvat right now in the wake of the J.T. Miller signing, but of course that’s not the only business on the horizon for the Vancouver Canucks.

One by one, the various members of the Canucks core need to be re-upped, with the only exception maybe being Quinn Hughes, who is several years away.

Horvat now, Elias Pettersson next summer, Brock Boeser the year after, Thatcher Demko the year after that — and Hughes the year after that if you want to go that far down the road.

In a perfect world, Pettersson makes this an easy decision and an expensive contract. And I say that, because I think all Canucks fans would love to see Pettersson realize all his potential and be the Canucks’ true superstar forward. A two-way, point-per-game producer that they can have for all of his prime years.

That’s what’s on the line for EP40 this season. It would take disaster for the Canucks to sour on the player entirely, but I think negotiations on a seven- or eight-year deal could get sticky with a 60-65 point season. Questions of his ceiling would be asked. It would be best for all involved if they didn’t need asking.

The question now is whether Pettersson can find the consistency again, now that he’s a known quantity in the NHL. He had it as a rookie and sophomore, but we all know the last two seasons have been more sporadic, at least by his standard, despite a career high 32 goals last season.

The goals almost don’t need to change next season. But bumping those points up with a better start to the season, and becoming a valuable piece defensively and on the PK would send his value to the team through the stratosphere. And it’s all possible this season, that’s the quality of player he is.

If that comes to pass, a 32-goal, 50-assist season? Look out salary cap. There’s a real chance that Petey’s next contract begins with a 9.

That would be made more palatable with an increased cap at that time, not to mention the contracts of Tanner Pearson, Jason Dickinson, and Tyler Myers off the books — albeit with the potential for a larger number for Horvat and Kuzmenko, and the Miller extension.

Club and player will want to get this done next summer for Pettersson. These are the delicate dances ahead for Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford, but it’s up to Pettersson to decide on the pace of the music.