The Vancouver Canucks concluded one of the worst seasons in recent memory for the club, finishing at the bottom of the Western Conference and coming nowhere close to a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It’s a startling fall from grace for the Canucks, who won the Pacific Division just two seasons ago and came within a single victory of their first trip to the Western Conference Final since 2011.
The Canucks also made several major moves in the season that was, not the least of which was the trade of team captain and former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
And while a handful of other notable players were shipped out of town, one major named remained behind. While he continues to see his name pop up in trade rumors, Elias Pettersson has reiterated that his preference is to remain with Vancouver.
Elias Pettersson Wants To Remain With The Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks had their locker room clean-out day at Rogers Arena on Friday, and Pettersson was asked if he believes that a change of scenery would be what’s ultimately best for him.
However, he reiterated his commitment to Vancouver and said that not only does it feel like home, but it’s the reason why he agreed to a lengthy contract extension.
“No, I mean, I like it here, this feels like home,” Pettersson said. “I signed here for a reason. We are in a tough spot, none of us are happy with the season. But like Thatcher (Demko) and Brock (Boeser) said, we have good pieces here. Just trying to build it up into a good team.”
Pettersson did make a major financial commitment to the Canucks, as he remains under contract for another six seasons with a hefty $11.6 million cap hit. So far in his NHL career, he’s tallied 200 goals with 308 assists in 545 career games.
The Canucks Made A Major Change In Leadership
While Pettersson was not traded by the Canucks, the executive who did trade the likes of Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers, Conor Garland, and Kiefer Sherwood at various points during the season will not be back with the franchise.
Earlier on Friday, the Canucks announced that they had parted ways with general manager Patrik Allvin, who had been with the club for the last five seasons.
“I would like to thank Patrik for all his hard work over the past four seasons,” Vancouver president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. “Under his guidance we have accumulated a lot of good young talent, and he has helped us lay the foundation of our rebuild. This season was disappointing for everyone in the organization, and we understand how frustrating it was for those who care about the team. Moving forward our goal will be to continue to bring in younger players who can grow together with our current group and form our next competitive core.”
The last several months have seen multiple major shakeups for the Canucks, but for now, it appears as though their Swedish-born star forward is staying put.
Elias Pettersson Gets Honest About Future With Canucks