One of those Vancouver Canucks rumors that just won’t go away involves center Elias Pettersson. It seems that he’s been part of trade chatter forever. But this season, amid the club’s rebuild and whatnot, the push to trade Petterson has reached an all-time high.
While that chatter has also come with plenty of reasons why Pettersson is practically untradeable, one notable commentator believes that a Pettersson trade could be much closer than most fans believe.
Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet published the latest iteration of his trade board. In it, Elias Pettersson’s name surfaces yet again. While he didn’t comment on anything that fans don’t already know, he did leave an interesting comment. The Carolina Hurricanes continue to be in pursuit, and an offseason timeline is the likeliest outcome of these Canucks rumors.
“A tough trade to make in-season, but Pettersson is very much out there, and the interest from Carolina is not going away.”
Kypreos is right about this being a tough in-season trade. The number of moving parts in it could complicate matters. Plus, Pettersson’s high cap hit would make it tough to adjust the cap on the fly for the acquiring party.
During the offseason, it’s much easier to manage the cap hit, particularly when UFAs come off the books, and the RFAs remain a work in progress. That’s why Canucks rumors involving Pettersson make more sense then.
It’s worth noting that the Hurricanes continue to seek a big fish anywhere they can. Pettersson would constitute one. The only hitch would be putting all of the pieces together to make the deal work out for both sides.
Canucks Rumors Involving Pettersson Just Won’t Go Away
The Canucks would have a unique opportunity to acquire numerous pieces while shedding significant salary. At this point, it’s safe to say that the Pettersson experiment didn’t ultimately work out for Vancouver. That’s why translating Pettersson, while still valuable, into useful pieces makes sense.
As such, Canucks rumors around this topic will not go away. The club will need to address them eventually. Doing so would either require openly shutting down whatever talk may be out there. Or the club will just need to bite the bullet and make a deal happen.
Since Carolina figures to be laying the groundwork, the timeline could come down to this offseason to make a deal happen.
Hurricanes Hoping Fresh Start Rekindles Career
For the Hurricanes, following on these Canucks rumors poses a risk. The assumption is that a change of scenery would rekindle Pettersson’s career. Going to a contender, which would increase the likelihood of waiving his no-trade clause, could bring Pettersson back to 100-point status.
But then again, that’s just a supposition. There are no guarantees that would be the case. There’s always the chance the Hurricanes miscalculate the move and end up paying dearly for it.
Such is the reality of pro sports. Any team looking to acquire a player or sign him to a major contract must face this reality. The Canucks made a bet on Pettersson, and it didn’t work out. That’s why cutting bait makes sense for Vancouver, and the risk could be worth it for Carolina.
Canucks Rumors: Canes Could Be Setting Up for Massive Deal