What insiders are saying about Pettersson's Canucks contract negotiations
It’s been an interesting last 48 hours for Vancouver Canucks fans, to say the least.
After waiting all season for Elias Pettersson to come to the bargaining table, news that the 25-year-old star centre finally agreed to talk contract broke on Wednesday.
But it didn’t happen quietly.
Canucks fans began freaking out just a little bit early this week after last weekend’s report that the team was getting trade calls on Pettersson. Elliotte Friedman expanded on that report Thursday, saying that the Canucks were serious about an offer from the Carolina Hurricanes.
“Talks with Carolina. Those were legit. Carolina made an offer, I don’t know what it was. But at the very least, it made Vancouver think,” Friedman said on today’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast. “At the very least, [Rutherford] brought it to the table and said, if you’re not going to give us an answer, this is something we’re going to consider.”
It would seem hard to believe that the Canucks would have traded Pettersson before the March 8 deadline, given that’s a deal they can also make in the summer.
Was it merely a pressure tactic? It doesn’t look like Pettersson wanted to call the Canucks’ bluff.
"The #Canucks don't want 3 or 4 years with Pettersson.."@DhaliwalSports updates the lattest chatter with Elias Pettersson and possible interest from Carolina.https://t.co/h4e2SKM7eJ pic.twitter.com/bMTB2bZSBv
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) March 1, 2024
“I don’t know if the Canucks took the Carolina offer to Pettersson or they just said ‘Look, there’s a possibility of a trade,'” Rick Dhaliwal said on CHEK today.
Dhaliwal added that the Canucks are “pissed” that the Carolina offer was made public in the first place.
What will Pettersson’s Canucks contract look like?
There are conflicting reports on what Pettersson’s contract will look like, though one thing’s for certain: he’s going to become one of the highest-paid players in the league.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that Pettersson was offered an eight-year deal worth around $96 million. That would make Pettersson the NHL’s fourth-highest-paid player with a $12 million average annual value, behind only Auston Matthews ($13.25 million), Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million), and Connor McDavid ($12.5 million).
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported that it could be even more than $96 million, but that Kypreos’ intel lined up with what he had heard.
TSN’s Darren Dreger, meanwhile, reported that the Canucks and Pettersson are looking at “a variety of options.” The deal could be in the 5-8 year range, Dreger said, with an annual salary slightly above $11.5 million.
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