This new Elias Pettersson report is sending shockwaves through Vancouver
Elias Pettersson and Manny Malhotra now sit at the center of Vancouver's hardest summer decision.
Chris Johnston's latest read is blunt.
He says Pettersson is absolutely tradeable, and likely fully available.
That alone is a massive shift.
For a long time, Pettersson felt like the player Vancouver had to build around no matter what. When a star center gets talked about this openly on the market, it tells you the organization is no longer protecting the idea of him.
It is protecting flexibility.
But Johnston's second point is the one that really bites.
If another team is taking on that full contract, he does not think the Canucks can expect much back in return.
That is the trap.
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This new Elias Pettersson report is sending shockwaves through Vancouver
This is what makes the Pettersson story so uncomfortable from a Canucks point of view.
A player with his talent should bring back a haul.
A player with his age should bring back a haul.
A player with his name value should bring back a haul.
Instead, the contract changes everything.
Once teams start looking at the full number instead of only the skill, the leverage slips. That is exactly why Johnston's wording matters so much. He is not saying Pettersson has no market.
He is saying the return may disappoint people badly.
That puts Vancouver in a brutal spot.
Do you move him now and accept a lighter package than fans would ever have imagined a year ago?
Or do you keep him, hope Manny Malhotra can reset the player, and try to rebuild the value that seems to have fallen?
That is not an easy call for this front office.
It also says something bigger about the direction of the Canucks.
If Pettersson is really available, then Vancouver is not only tweaking around the edges. It is admitting one of the biggest pillars of the roster may no longer be viewed as untouchable.
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That changes the whole tone of the offseason.
And honestly, Johnston's take feels like a warning more than a rumor.
The danger is not only trading Pettersson.
The danger is trading him from a weaker position than the fan base wants to admit.
That is why this story matters so much now.
The Canucks can still move Elias Pettersson.
They just may not like what the market says back.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 2, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | - | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 1 | 1 | |
| K'Andre Miller | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colton Sissons | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Smith | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||