Add another NHL team who, according to Frank Seravalli of dailyfaceoff.com, has called about forward Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks. The Utah club has been in and out of wild-card playoff contention for most of the season. They are six points back as of this writing, but plenty of games remain.
The prospect of adding Pettersson to the Utah lineup would be monumental. He has 11 goals and 19 assists in 42 games this season. That is quite a drop in production. He accumulated 34 goals and 55 assists last season and had an even better year during the 2022-23 campaign with 39 goals and 63 assists. Needless to mention, he would be Utah’s first-line center.
No one can be sure, but whatever has caused these two star forwards not to get along hurts the team and players. There have been rumors lately that one or both players may be moved to restore sanity to the locker room. Other NHL teams are circling like vultures and are looking to add one of these players. Will Pettersson go, or will Miller be moved instead?
One thing is sure, something needs to be done soon before the situation destroys the Canucks’ season. It seems attempts to end the disagreement among the two players have failed. It’s unfortunate, but it happens in the real world.
Elias Pettersson has a massive $11.6 million contract good through the 2026-27 season. He has a no-movement clause that kicks in next season, so moving him before then would be prudent. That means teams interested in him will need some cap space to conduct a deal. They will also need prospects and draft picks to entice the Vancouver team to complete a trade package.
The Utah club has both prospects and draft capital. With 25 draft picks over the next three years, including three 2026 second-round picks and two third-round choices, Vancouver could get some good prospects. They may want a young player like center Cole Beaudoin, who was taken 24th in the last NHL draft. He plays very well in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), with 13 goals and 17 assists in 27 games.
Of course, the Canucks may want an established player to fill the loss of Pettersson. The Utah team has Barrett Hayton, who has 12 goals and 14 assists in 48 games this season. He is signed through next season at a reasonable $2.65 million. Another player who may be interested in Vancouver is Nick Schmaltz. He has 10 goals and 29 assists in 48 games. This would complete the three-for-one trade mentioned in the above DFO Rundown podcast.
More than likely, the Canucks may end up moving Miller rather than Elias Pettersson. The latter has stated that he prefers to stay in Vancouver. Whether that happens is yet to be determined. It is intriguing to speculate how Pettersson could elevate the success of a team like Utah. They are still in a rebuild but have performed better than expected. They must go for it if they get an opportunity to add Pettersson to their lineup. Even with his down year thus far, a change of scenery seems to be in order.
That is unless he changes his mind, depending on the outcome of the feud with Miller, and wants out of Vancouver. That is still an option he possesses.
It’s extremely likely that Utah general manager Bill Armstrong will gladly accept Pettersson with open arms. If Pettersson can help the newest NHL franchise obtain a playoff spot, all will be fine in Salt Lake City.
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