The Vancouver Canucks spent the last two seasons wondering what had happened to Elias Pettersson.
They’d given him a long-term contract worth $11.6 million per year, and he had proceeded to regress into a player that looked nothing like the one he once was.
It didn’t make sense. Pettersson was supposed to be entering his prime, not hitting a rapid-fire decline.
The contract started to look like one of the worst in the NHL. Even if the Canucks had wanted to trade Pettersson, it’s hard to see how they could’ve convinced another team to take that deal off their hands.
So for two years, Pettersson and the Canucks find themselves mired in what felt like an inexplicable and unwinnable situation.
And then this season began, and Pettersson emerged from whatever hibernation he had been in for the past two years.
Pettersson looks like himself again.
Elias Pettersson Fast Start
The Canucks struggled on Thursday night, losing 7-2, but Pettersson managed not to be on the ice for any of the opposition goals.
He was on the ice for both of Vancouver’s goals, though. He was a plus-2, and he assisted on both goals.
Pettersson also dished out two hits, and he now has eight points through five games to begin this season.
The advanced stat xGF%, which measures the percentage of chances go one team’s way when a player is on the ice, also had Pettersson above 70% in that category on Thursday night. The only time the Canucks performed well was when Pettersson was out there, and that simply hasn’t been the case the last couple seasons.
Elias Pettersson in a 7-2 losing effort tonight:
• 2 assists
• +2 plus/minus
• 2 hits
• 70.8% xGF% at 5v5
• up to 8 points in his first 5 games this seasonThis is insane he’s actually back. https://t.co/THkiCoZh9O
— Big Head Hockey (@bigheadhcky) October 9, 2026
Of course, Pettersson’s return to form doesn’t just mean the Canucks are going to magically turn it around. They’re still a team in rebuild mode.
Elias Pettersson Trade Rumors
Because Pettersson has hit his stride, the trade rumors should begin to heat up.
The Canucks would likely still have to eat a part of his salary, but another team would likely be willing to take him for 50% or 75% of his deal.
It’s not clear whether that would actually help Vancouver at this point. It depends what they can get in return, because if Pettersson is actually at top form again, he might just be worth keeping.
It’s safe to expect all the trade rumor articles in the days and months ahead to have Pettersson’s name again, though. It wasn’t clear he’d ever return to this level, but Pettersson sure looks to be back.
Canucks’ Elias Pettersson Making Strong Statement