- The Canucks have softened on retaining salary in an Elias Pettersson trade
- Eating a couple million would drop his $11.6M cap hit and open up the market
- Read below for the suitors and what new GM Ryan Johnson does next
The Canucks are finally giving teams a reason to call about Elias Pettersson.
Vancouver’s new front office is open to retaining money on Pettersson’s contract, a clear break from the hard line the old regime held. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the firm stance against eating salary has softened, and dropping the $11.6 million cap hit toward $8.6 million could be enough to push a deal across the line.
That one wrinkle changes everything. At the full $11.6 million, Pettersson was close to untradeable coming off a down year. Shave off a few million and the math suddenly works for a contender.
The eight-year deal at the heart of the holdup:
Detroit and Los Angeles are the two teams tied to him most often. Both have the cap space to take on the contract, and both need a top-six center. The Red Wings are dealing with Dylan Larkin’s trade request, and the Kings have a hole down the middle with Anze Kopitar retired.
Montreal and Toronto have poked around too, per Pagnotta. None of it is close yet.
New GM Ryan Johnson inherited this one when the Sedins’ group took over. Johnson will listen, but Vancouver would rather get Pettersson going again than sell low on a player they once built around.
The reason his value sits where it does is simple. The 27-year-old put up 15 goals and 51 points in 74 games last season while finishing a minus-30, a long way from the 89-point version Vancouver paid. He still has six years left on the deal.
Pettersson with then-coach Adam Foote during a season that came apart in Vancouver:
If Johnson eats the few million, the phone lines open and a top-six center hits the market. If he holds firm, Pettersson stays a Canuck and Vancouver tries to fix him at home.
