With the Vancouver Canucks officially in a rebuild, the rumour mill will be churning every day with new speculation on who president Jim Rutherford and general manager (GM) Patrik Allvin will trade next. They started with dealing captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in December and recently moved their leading goalscorer Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks. Now, it appears that Elias Pettersson, even though he has a no-move clause, could be the next star packing his bags.
Related: Canucks News & Rumours: Foote, Chytil & Friedman on Pettersson Trade
While Pettersson will dictate if and where he is traded, insiders have highlighted five teams that could be interested in his services. Let’s take a look at them, and who the Canucks could get in return for their former 102-point man.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings will be losing a key part of their roster in the offseason when captain Anze Kopitar hangs up his skates. They can’t hope to replace his leadership and solid two-way play, not to mention his legacy in LA, with a trade or free-agent signing, but Pettersson could help fill the gap on the second line behind Quinton Byfield after he leaves.
Despite the fall-off in production, Pettersson is still one of the top two-way centres in the league and is good for at least 20-25 goals a season. He won’t be the faceoff dynamo Kopitar is, but he can fill his role on the power play and penalty kill, and might even return to form alongside his former linemate Andrei Kuzmenko. Don’t forget, Kuzmenko had his career-high 39 goals and 74 points playing mostly with Pettersson during his 102-point season in 2022-23.
The Kings don’t have the same caliber of assets as the rest of the teams on this list, but they could offer a package of first and second-round picks if the Canucks are okay with not getting a young top-six centre in return. I’m sure the Kings don’t want to give up Byfield, since he’s their future down the middle. They could ask for 24-year-old Alex Turcotte, though, who is starting to find his form after dealing with injuries early in his career. LA is also a destination Pettersson might waive his no-move clause for, since his new wife, Katelyn, lived there for 13 years.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have been a team interested in Pettersson going back to before he signed his extension in 2024. In fact, there were serious trade talks ahead of that monster $11.2 million average annual value (AAV) deal, with names like Martin Necas, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis being discussed as possible returns. While Necas is with the Colorado Avalanche now and Jarvis is a core piece of the team, Svechnikov might still be a name to keep an eye on two years later.
The Hurricanes have been hunting for a legitimate second-line centre for years, as Jesperi Kotkaniemi hasn’t worked out so far. He and his $4.82 million AAV might need to be involved for this trade to happen, just for the money to make sense for Carolina. Prospects/youngsters like Bradly Nadeau, Ivan Ryabkin, and Felix Unger Sörum could also enter the discussion, along with the usual first and second-round picks.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are close to finishing their long rebuild since the Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane era ended, and Pettersson could help end it sooner rather than later. In Chicago, Connor Bedard is the headline act, so he wouldn’t be in the media’s crosshairs every day like he is in Vancouver. Being left alone to do his thing might be what he needs to return to form. He could post up behind Bedard on the second line and be just another guy rather than “the guy”. His power-play prowess could also make a comeback with Bedard taking all the attention on the man advantage instead of him.
The Blackhawks have plenty of young players, prospects and picks they could offer in return for Pettersson. With Anton Frondell close to being NHL-ready, would they be willing to part with blue-chip centres like Oliver Moore or Sascha Boisvert?
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are in the same boat as the Blackhawks. In fact, they might be further along since they are currently in the playoff conversation, and general manager Mike Grier has seemingly shifted his thinking from selling to buying. He recently traded for Sherwood and is rumoured to be interested in acquiring young blueliner Braden Schneider from the New York Rangers as well. Could Pettersson be his next big splash in the trade market?
The Sharks have their own superstar leading the charge in Macklin Celebrini, so Pettersson wouldn’t have to shoulder the load of the offence. They also have a former linemate of his, Tyler Toffoli, who seemed to have some chemistry with him when they teamed up in 2019-20. The Canucks have struggled to find the ying to Pettersson’s yang over the years, with Toffoli and the aforementioned Kuzmenko being the only ones to truly bring the best out of him. Maybe a reunion with one of them is what he needs to rediscover the Pettersson that has eluded him since 2022-23.
Like the Blackhawks, the Sharks have plenty of assets they could offer in return. Filip Bystedt and Quinton Musty were discussed before the Sherwood trade, so they might be involved again here. The Sharks also still have their first-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are the other team that likes their Swedes, so of course, they would be in trade rumours involving Pettersson. Like the Hurricanes, they have been searching for a second-line centre to complement their star Dylan Larkin, and provide a one-two punch down the middle that seems to be a hallmark of Stanley Cup winners.
The Red Wings are a team on the rise, and it’s only a matter of time before GM Steve Yzerman makes a blockbuster trade. It appears he wants to make a big splash with not only rumours of interest in Pettersson, but also Artemi Panarin, and before they were dealt to the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights, respectively, Quinn Hughes and Rasmus Andersson. His team is on the cusp of making the playoffs for the first time since 2016, so this could be the first trade deadline where he actually becomes a buyer instead of a seller.
The difference between Pettersson and all those other targets is that he has a long-term contract and wouldn’t be a rental. The Red Wings ultimately didn’t trade for Hughes or Andersson because they wouldn’t commit to staying after their current contract was up. That wouldn’t be a problem with Pettersson, considering he has six more years left on the extension he signed in 2024.
As for a return, the usual suspects of Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, or Axel Sandin-Pellikka, alongside draft picks, would have to be involved. As much as I like Danielson, Kasper has the higher ceiling of a first/second-line centre, so he is my pick for the centrepiece of the deal.
You may notice a common theme among all these teams: Pettersson would be coming in as the opener, not the headline act. The Kings have Adrian Kempe, the Hurricanes have Sebastian Aho, the Blackhawks have Bedard, the Sharks have Celebrini, and finally, the Red Wings have Larkin. Not to mention, he wouldn’t have the media spotlight like he does in Vancouver. But, ultimately, he holds all the cards. If he doesn’t want to leave the Canucks, he’s not going anywhere.
Thanks to his no-movement clause, Pettersson has the final say on whether he’s traded and, if he is, to where. As of this writing, there is no indication that he’s willing to waive that clause. While his agent, JP Barry, wasn’t as definitive as Filip Hronek’s about his future with the organization, he did say to take all these rumours with a grain of salt. He didn’t rule out a trade happening, but said the Canucks have yet to discuss any sort of move with them.
That won’t stop the speculation in the media, however, and with top-six centres at a premium on the trade market, it also won’t stop teams from calling Allvin and Rutherford with offers. It remains to be seen whether they get one they can’t refuse and start discussions with Pettersson’s camp on a potential move.
