- Canucks GM Ryan Johnson says an Elias Pettersson trade won’t be a salary dump
- Rick Dhaliwal reports Pettersson hasn’t been asked to waive his no-move clause yet
- Read below for Johnson’s full comments and where the trade talk stands
The Canucks aren’t giving Elias Pettersson away.
New general manager Ryan Johnson told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that if Vancouver moves Pettersson, it won’t be a salary dump. Johnson wants real value coming back, and he made clear there’s no financial pressure forcing his hand as the team starts a rebuild.
Johnson was asked how he has handled the situation with his top-paid forward. He kept coming back to keeping things open with the player.
“I’ve wanted to make sure there’s a clear dialogue, clear honesty… while trying to find solutions that benefit the player and the hockey club at the same time,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s tone shifted when he brought up Filip Hronek, another name in the rumor mill. Johnson said Hronek is “really adamant that he wants to be a part of the solution.”
CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal poured cold water on any idea that a deal is close. He reported that Pettersson hasn’t even been asked to waive his no-move clause to go anywhere:
Pettersson is two years into an eight-year, $92.8 million contract that carries an $11.6 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause. He has six years left on the deal.
Those two down years are what fuel the trade talk. Pettersson has 96 points in 138 games since the extension kicked in, after piling up 191 points across the 162 games before it. The 27-year-old is coming off the worst stretch of his career.
Vancouver hasn’t been short on suitors. The Penguins have already been linked to Pettersson, and a rising cap only makes that $11.6 million number easier for a contender to stomach.
Johnson’s price is set. A change of scenery might do Pettersson some good, but Vancouver wants to win the trade before it makes one.
