Elias Pettersson's name is back in trade rumors, and the Vancouver Canucks aren't shutting it down.
David Pagnotta reported Wednesday night, via NHL Rumour Report, that Vancouver would look at moving Pettersson but haven't taken the opposite approach of simply giving him away, according to Inside Sports.
The 27-year-old center is coming off a rough season, posting 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points across 74 games.
He finished the year with a -30 rating, a number that jumps off the page even before you factor in his contract.
Pettersson carries a cap hit of $11,600,000, the eighth-highest in the entire NHL, and that price tag alone makes any deal complicated.
His finish was worse than the season totals suggest. Over his last 10 games, Pettersson has zero goals, six assists and a -7 rating.
The Canucks, for what it's worth, weren't winning many games regardless of who was on the ice. They closed the year 25-49-8, dead last in the league at 32nd overall.
Sedins reportedly still want Pettersson back on track
Vancouver was outscored 316-216 across the season, a -100 goal differential that sits among the worst marks anywhere in hockey.
According to the same report, the plan if Pettersson stays is for the front office, the Sedins included, to try to get him back on track.
And that's the tension here. Vancouver hired Manny Malhotra as head coach last month, and now there's a report suggesting its $11.6 million center could be moved before that relationship even gets going.
Shopping your highest-paid forward the same summer you bring in a new coach is a strange way to build stability. It reads less like a plan and more like a shrug.
Airing out trade speculation like this in the middle of summer is like leaving your car unlocked overnight. You're not stealing it yourself, but you're inviting somebody else to make an offer.
Pettersson still ran a power play that produced 18 assists with the man advantage. That's not nothing on a team that finished minus-100 in goal differential.
But a -30 rating and a scoreless stretch over his last 10 games gave the front office every reason to at least entertain the calls.
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Whether that "plan" means a genuine reset under Malhotra or a slow walk toward the door probably depends on how Pettersson looks come training camp. Vancouver hasn't decided. Not yet.
Should the Canucks trade Elias Pettersson this summer?
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Elias Pettersson moved for former Conn Smythe winner in bold Canucks trade proposal
