Pettersson switches agents ahead of contract negotiations with Canucks

Elias Pettersson appears to be gearing up for what should be one of the most important contract negotiations in Vancouver Canucks history.

According to a pair of reports by TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Pettersson has made the move to CAA Hockey, an agency that employs NHL super agents like Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry.

Looks like Quinn Hughes and Pettersson now have the same agent Pat Brisson.

J.P Barry as well.

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) January 25, 2021

Word is it will be Brisson/Barry at CAA https://t.co/hQActV0VZP

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 25, 2021

Brisson and Barry rank first and third, respectively, on the NHL agent leaderboard in total value of active contracts, according to PuckPedia.com. Brisson’s represents 60 players — including superstars like Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Anze Kopitar — with contract values totalling over $1 billion. Barry has 64 active contracts on his books — including Evgeni Malkin, Mathew Barzal, and David Pastrnak — totalling more than $677 million.

CAA also represents Loui Eriksson and Tyler Myers, so it goes without saying that they have a pretty good track record of getting money for their clients. But it’s the connection to another Canucks teammate that is most relevant in this case.

Brisson is also the agent for Quinn Hughes, who, like Pettersson, will need a new contract after this season.

As the two best players on the team, not to mention two of the best young players in the game, Pettersson (22) and Hughes (21), are due big paydays after their entry-level deals expire. But where precisely they come in will have major ramifications on the Canucks’ ability to build a contender in the coming years.

Teams will be allowed to present Pettersson with an offer sheet in the offseason, while the same is not possible for Hughes, as he will be a 10.2(c) free agent by virtue of starting his contract at the tail end of the 2018-19 season.

However, through Pettersson and Hughes being represented by the same agency, CAA could negotiate the pair of Canucks stars as a package deal, thus increasing their leverage.

Will Pettersson and Hughes sign max eight-year deals, like Connor McDavid did with the Edmonton Oilers in 2017? Or will they go for five- or six-year deals like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner did with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019?

McDavid has the largest cap hit in the league, at $12.5 million, so neither player is likely to surpass that number, but how much lower will they come in at?

Pettersson scored at a higher rate in his first two seasons than Matthews and Marner did, so perhaps their AAVs are good comparables. Matthews has the third-richest cap hit in the league at over $11.6 million, while Marner ranks seventh, at over $10.9 million.

When it comes to finding a comparable for Hughes, that’s more difficult. Thomas Chabot signed an eight-year, $64 million contract with the Ottawa Senators coming off his entry-level deal, but his resume can’t match Hughes.

Here’s a look at the 50 highest-paid players in the league by cap hit, courtesy of CapFriendly.com: