With the Olympic trade freeze around the corner, it appears the NHL trade market has been jolted into action over the last week. With the Vancouver Canucks shipping Kiefer Sherwood out to the San Jose Sharks and the Calgary Flames trading Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights, all eyes are now on who will be the next domino to fall.
One player whose name has been bandied about is the Canucks’ very own Elias Pettersson, who signed a $92.8 million, eight-year extension in March 2024. With a $11,600,000 cap hit, moving Pettersson would require some concessions on the Canucks’ part, and that’s without mentioning the no-movement clause in his contract.
Those stipulations haven’t stopped the trade rumor mill from throwing Pettersson’s name into the mix, but his agent, J.P. Barry, made a couple of things crystal clear ahead of the NHL’s Feb. 4 trade freeze.
Elias Pettersson’s Agent Addresses Trade Rumors Around Canucks Star
Last year, Pettersson looked like a shadow of the player who was handed a monster $92.8 million deal. This year, there has been a slight uptick in his form, though it’s still a far cry from delivering $11,600,000 in value.
The team’s direction made the Canucks brass take stock of things, ultimately choosing to trade the most talented player to pull on the shirt, Quinn Hughes. With Hughes out of the picture, the Canucks made peace with getting precious little out of the season and reportedly agreed to take calls on any of their veterans garnering interest around the league.
So far, it appears some teams have called in on Pettersson, but any trade is still a ways away. Speaking on the Donnie & Dhali show on Thursday, the Canucks star’s agent, J.P. Barry, had more than a few things to say about his client’s future.
“I take [the trade rumors] with a grain of salt,” Barry said.
“When a team isn’t doing well, everybody’s going to be discussed. It’s always hard for us when it’s a player who has a no-move [clause], but that’s the reality of where things are when things don’t go well. For us, we know it’s not real unless the GM is calling us and saying there’s an actual deal and would you consider it. Nine out of ten times, it’s just a rumor.”
Barry said he believes his client is happy in Vancouver, though the losing could take its toll.
“He committed to be there and try to make the best of it, and he’s going to do that. I’m sure there’s going to be all kinds of discussions at the end of this year about every player on that team. We can’t avoid that,” Barry admitted.
“9 out of 10 times It’s just a rumour..”
NHL Agent J.P. Barry talked about one of his clients, Elias Pettersson (f), and the trade chatter around him.
Full interview posted soon on our YouTube channel.https://t.co/h4e2SKM7eJ pic.twitter.com/MNoVoWi2Bf
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) January 22, 2026
But Pettersson’s agent didn’t stop there. He also revealed some interesting insight into how a no-movement clause is added into a player’s contract.
“People think the player should automatically waive to whoever they want to waive to. The reality is that when you have the leverage to have a no-move, you’re basically purchasing that for sometimes a million dollars or more. The player retains the right to go to a spot he wants to go to,” Barry said.
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The consensus around the league is that the Canucks are hesitant to trade Pettersson because they believe he could flourish with a change of scenery. The fact that he has been an elite offensive player who pushes the tempo could make him an exciting addition to a contender. The price tag on a Pettersson trade also isn’t likely to be too steep.
For now, the Canucks appear to be willing to listen to offers with the Olympic trade freeze inching closer.
