The Detroit Red Wings are desperate for glory this season. The Red Wings have steadily held on to the upper rungs of the standings and have frequently featured in trade rumors as potential suitors.
Insider Links the Detroit Red Wings with Elias Pettersson
Steve Yzerman has reportedly shown interest in acquiring Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, under the condition that he signs an extension with the Red Wings.
The team has also reportedly been interested in Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils, and now an insider has linked the Red Wings with a standout forward of a struggling Western Conference team.
The ship has sailed on the Vancouver Canucks’ 2025-26 season, as the team has struggled in vain to escape the Pacific Division cellar. For now, the Canucks have 37 points and a nine-game losing streak. The word is out that the team is indeed going for a rebuild, and there is no hiding it anymore. The franchise has also withstood the departure of key defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild amid a season that was indefensible by all means to begin with.
Elias Pettersson, who is in the second year of an eight-year, $92.8 million contract with the Canucks, whose future has been the subject of immense speculation lately. Reports have emerged that the Montreal Canadiens could be interested in acquiring the 27-year-old forward, and now, Chris Johnston believes the Red Wings could also be in contention for Pettersson.
“I could see the Detroit Red Wings having interest in someone like Pettersson,” Johnston stated in a recent episode of the Chris Johnston show.
The insider has also named the Carolina Hurricanes as another team that could participate in the Pettersson sweepstakes. “I wonder about the Carolina Hurricanes though. They did have discussions with Pettersson last year, and I think, would be looking for some more impact players in their roster.”
The LA Kings are another team that might have a reason to pursue Pettersson, according to Johnston. “There are other teams out there. The LA Kings are losing Anze Kopitar at the end of the year.”
Despite the widespread interest expected to be in the forward, a fair trade could still be difficult. “I just don’t know that the Canucks are going to be able to garner from any of those teams the kind of return that makes it make sense,” Johnston concluded.
Pettersson’s performance is definitely not what it used to be. So, if the Canucks intend to trade themselves out of this situation, a team needs to really have faith in Pettersson’s ability to make a decisive comeback and to prove that he is still just as powerful an asset.
