Getting Pettersson signed changed Canucks' trade deadline strategy

There’s an alternate universe where Elias Pettersson doesn’t sign a long-term contract with the Vancouver Canucks prior to the trade deadline.

And if Pettersson stuck to his guns and refused to talk contract until the end of the season, perhaps someone like Jake Guentzel or Tyler Toffoli would be on their way to Vancouver right now.

We’ll never know for sure, but Canucks GM Patrik Allvin did admit that his plans for the trade deadline were altered when pressed by Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston at today’s press conference. Allvin was asked if his trade deadline plans had changed, knowing that Pettersson would be under team control for the next eight years.

“Yeah, it definitely did,” Allvin said. “With the projection of our roster moving forward, we know we’re going to have some really good players on our team for at least eight years.

“But that being said, we know that there were a couple of intriguing players available, and we were in on those discussions. For whatever reason, they didn’t end up here. But we also weren’t willing to part ways with future assets or the young players we have that we believe can come in and help us over the next couple of years.”

Had Pettersson refused to sign, the Canucks’ Stanley Cup window would have looked rather narrow. Perhaps they would have effectively been in a one-and-done situation.

But Pettersson did commit to the Canucks, of course, which allowed Allvin to think more about the future.

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While they didn’t make a move on deadline day, Allvin can’t be accused of standing pat. He was the most active general manager in the NHL this season, after all. The Canucks made their big move early, acquiring Elias Lindholm on January 31.

That trade saw the Canucks give up multiple draft picks and promising prospect Hunter Brzustewicz. They also gave up draft picks this season in deals to acquire Nikita Zadorov, Sam Lafferty, and Casey DeSmith.

“We already parted ways with a lot of draft picks,” Allvin said. “If there was any chance for us to improve with a reasonable cost, not setting the future back, we definitely would have looked at it. Unfortunately, it didn’t work this time.”

Allvin said there was a “big demand” for his young players but didn’t feel like he was in a position to give them up. The Pittsburgh Penguins were rumoured to be demanding one of defenceman Tom Willander or winger Jonathan Lekkerimäki — Vancouver’s top two prospects.

“Willander, Lekkerimäki, Pettersson, Räty, Sasson, Bains, Podkolzin — those are the guys of the future here, and we feel strongly about those young players,” said Allvin.

“This is the balance of today’s Vancouver Canucks and next year’s and the following years’ Vancouver Canucks. I think this is a process… We’re not finished, we’re not satisfied, we’re always trying to get better and improve. Would I like to have another player here today? Yeah, sure.”

Contending teams make mistakes at the trade deadline every year, and unlike some other teams in their conference, the Canucks didn’t mortgage the future. History will tell if that was the right decision.

LIVE | Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin addresses the media in Vancouver following the Trade Deadline. https://t.co/Ax2GT9gLAW

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 8, 2024