Which teams would want Pettersson if the Canucks decide to trade him?
The Vancouver Canucks’ future hinges on Elias Pettersson.
During the first 85 games of Rick Tocchet’s tenure (Jan. 24, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2024), Pettersson had 112 points in 85 games. That ranked seventh overall in the NHL.
Since then, he has 70 points in 97 games, 122nd-best in the league.
In the blink of an eye, Pettersson went from a superstar to a low-end second liner.
The Canucks have a franchise-altering decision to make on Pettersson. Do they keep him and hope he bounces back, or do they trade him for the best return possible?
If they do trade him, here are some teams who should have interest.
Carolina Hurricanes
After the failing Mikko Rantanen experiment, it’s easy to envision the Carolina Hurricanes circling back on Pettersson this offseason — especially if they don’t make much noise in the playoffs.
They’ve been tied to Pettersson multiple times over the past two seasons. The Canucks discussed trading him to Carolina before inking him to an eight-year extension. It’s also been reported that the Hurricanes were deep in talks with the Canucks before they ended up acquiring Rantanen.
While Pettersson’s game has clearly fallen off, the Hurricanes appear to be a team that still has serious interest in him. Perhaps there’s even more appeal from Carolina’s perspective since Pettersson is locked up long-term. This isn’t another Rantanen or Jake Guentzel situation for them.
One interesting trade chip may be Andrei Svechnikov, who is in his seventh season with Carolina. Injuries have slowed him, but Svechnikov has registered just 46 points in 71 games this season.
You could make the change of scenery argument for both players.
The Canes also have two first-round picks in the supposedly deep 2026 NHL Draft.
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have been involved in Pettersson-like trades before.
In 2018, they traded Ryan O’Reilly to the St. Louis Blues. Then, they traded Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021.
For once, could the Sabres be on the other end of this type of deal? One where they actually acquire the landmark player?
Buffalo should be desperate to shake things up, which was evident by them trading Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators at the NHL trade deadline. They have oodles of young assets to get a deal like this one. In fact, a package of Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, a first-round pick and a second-round pick, looks like a similar, albeit lesser, return that they got for Eichel back in 2021.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Much like the Sabres, the Columbus Blue Jackets are a young team with lots of assets to get a Pettersson deal done. They reportedly called the Canucks back in January asking about Pettersson, and adding a guy like him theoretically could accelerate their path to contention.
The O’Reilly trade from 2018 is an interesting blueprint here. The Sabres acquired Tage Thompson in that deal, a hulking, young centre who was recently a first-round pick.
No, the Blue Jackets aren’t trading Adam Fantilli, but a guy like Cayden Lindstrom does fit the Thompson mould. Of course, Lindstrom is a teenager who was injured for all of this season, but he was a fourth-overall pick in last year’s draft for good reason. He’s big, physical and can take over games.
The Jackets do have a plethora of picks and young players. Vancouver native Kent Johnson could conceivably come back in a trade involving Pettersson as well.
New York Islanders
While J.T. Miller and Pettersson had their differences, Bo Horvat seems to have no reservations about reuniting with his former teammate.
“Oh god, yeah,” Horvat told The Hockey News when asked if he’d want to play with Pettersson again. “He’s a special player. He’s a really good person. He’s a special player that I respect a lot. I’ve had a lot of good success with him, too, in the past. But yeah, if I get a chance to play with him again, I would love to. We could use him.”
The Islanders seem to be perpetually stuck in mediocrity. They don’t have a ton of picks, although they do hold two first-rounders in 2026. Their top prospect is an electric offensive player in Cole Eiserman, who just played with Canucks’ prospect Tom Willander at Boston University.
Mat Barzal stands out as the most intriguing player who could come back to the Canucks in return. It looks like the Coquitlam native could use a fresh start elsewhere, although he’s not the type of player the Islanders should be trading away.
Other Potential Suitors
The four teams above have all been linked to Pettersson in some capacity. The same can’t be said for these teams, although it’s easy enough to envision a potential fit.
Minnesota Wild
For once, the Minnesota Wild will have cap space this offseason. They also need to improve their offensive punch behind guys like Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.
Pettersson wouldn’t have to be the star up front in Minnesota. The Wild also have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL to help facilitate a deal.
Winnipeg Jets
Making big trades hasn’t been the M.O. for the Winnipeg Jets, but that may change if they bow out early in the playoffs again. They also have a need for centres, as journeyman Vladislav Namestnikov is their current second-line centre.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have now missed the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the second-longest drought in the NHL. That may make Steve Yzerman impatient, and the Red Wings have draft picks and young centres such as Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson that could be dangled in a trade.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have nothing but young players, assets and cap space. They may also be willing to make a move this summer to climb out of the NHL’s basement. Canucks fans would obviously love Connor Bedard, but younger forwards such as Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and Sacha Boisvert could be dangled as more realistic future top-six replacements.
Is trading Pettersson worth it?
The answer is: likely not.
If the Canucks believe that Pettersson can refocus, train hard and bounce back, then trading him makes little sense. Right now, they’re unlikely to get a return equal to the Hurricanes’ rumoured offer of Martin Necas and a first-round pick. The Canucks would be selling low on Pettersson by dealing him this summer.
That being said, we heard from both the Canucks and Miller following his trade that he needed a “fresh start.” If the Canucks feel that way about Pettersson, or don’t believe he can bounce back, then a trade starts to feel more likely.
Trading him is unlikely to be “worth it,” especially since they’re dealing from a centre position where they’re thin organizationally. Their best bet may be taking a Cayden Lindstrom-like swing at finding a guy who could be an elite centre in the future.