Elias Pettersson's future with the Vancouver Canucks is once again the hottest storyline of the summer.
Rumors around the 27-year-old center have followed him for two seasons, but this week they picked up real steam.
Pettersson closed out the year with 51 points in 74 games, 15 goals and 36 assists, and he finished at minus-30.
His production dried up down the stretch too. Over his last 10 games he managed zero goals and six assists.
That's the problem for Vancouver. You can't sell a $11,600,000 cap hit on a guy who just went cold when it mattered.
Reports link Pittsburgh to Pettersson, with some suggesting the Canucks want young center Ben Kindel in return. That's not realistic for Pittsburgh, and it shouldn't be.
Vancouver just finished 25-49-8, the worst record in the league. Rebuilding through youth means moving pieces like Pettersson, not hoarding them.
Marchessault next domino in Nashville's shakeup
Down in Nashville, Jonathan Marchessault carries his own cloud. The 35-year-old winger has faded fast since signing as a free agent two summers ago.
He posted just 31 points in 62 games this past season, 12 goals and 19 assists, with a minus-18 rating.
His finish was worse than that number suggests. Zero points across his final five games played.
Predators GM has already reshaped the bottom of Nashville's roster, and Marchessault's name keeps surfacing as the next piece that could move.
He carries a full no-movement clause, so nothing happens unless he agrees to it. At $5,500,000 annually through 2029-30, his money is the real obstacle for suitors.
Nashville went 38-34-10 and finished 24th overall, a team caught between contending and retooling. Moving Marchessault would only make sense if another club believes he still has scoring left in him.
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Two teams, two declining veterans, two contracts nobody wants to swallow whole. The kind of situation where speculation moves faster than actual trades ever do.
Should the Canucks trade Elias Pettersson even at a discount this offseason?
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