One bold trade pitch has the Edmonton Oilers landing Vancouver center Elias Pettersson this fall.
To be clear upfront, nothing here is an actual report. This is a hypothetical proposal, the kind built to spark debate, not to predict reality.
But the premise behind it is real. Pierre LeBrun reported earlier this offseason that Vancouver could be willing to retain salary in a Pettersson trade.
That detail matters because Pettersson's production has fallen off hard. He posted 51 points in 74 games last season after scoring 102 points back in 2022-23.
He also finished at minus-30 on a Vancouver team that collapsed entirely, closing last season 25-49-8 and dead last in the league at 32nd overall.
His $11,600,000 cap hit runs through 2031-32, which is exactly why retained salary is the piece that makes any deal realistic.
The hypothetical proposal has Vancouver eating $3,000,000 annually, bringing Pettersson's price down to $8,600,000 for Edmonton.
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Oilers land Elias Pettersson in stunning blockbuster trade proposal
It's the retail equivalent of buying a floor model at a discount. You're betting the scratches don't affect how it performs once it's home.
That package centers on Isaac Howard, a 22-year-old forward Edmonton would presumably need to include as the centerpiece return.
Howard posted just 5 points in 29 games last season, so this would be selling on potential rather than proven NHL production.
Trent Frederic, Ty Emberson and prospect Beau Akey round out the return, depth pieces rather than difference-makers on their own.
Frederic put up 7 points in 74 games, while Emberson chipped in 12 points across 72 games on Edmonton's back end last season.
A conditional 2027 second-round pick rounds out the proposal, one that reportedly upgrades to a first if Edmonton wins the Cup that season.
Is giving up a cost-controlled 22-year-old for a former 100-point center who just posted his worst season worth the gamble?
Edmonton finished last season 41-30-11, good for 14th overall, a team already positioned to win now around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
My take: buying low on talent like this only works if Pettersson still has that ceiling in him. That's a bet, not a guarantee.
Nothing about this proposal is close to happening today. But pair a rebuilding Vancouver team with a retained contract, and it's easy to see why this idea keeps getting floated.
Would you do this Elias Pettersson trade if you ran the Oilers?
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