At this point, the only good thing to come out of this season for the Vancouver Canucks is that it’s approaching its end. With an 8-27-5 home record, the Canucks did far from completing last season’s unfinished business when they missed the playoffs by a whisker. The team is staring down a rebuild, and its management might need to sit a veteran down for a tough conversation.
NHL Insider Anticipates Vancouver Canucks-Elias Pettersson Discussion About the Future
Elias Pettersson’s hefty, eight-year, $92.8 million contract is nowhere near its end, but Pettersson fatigue has set in in Vancouver.
The 27-year-old center has fallen short of expectations by a mile, accumulating 49 points in 72 games this season. Pettersson was expected to play a central role in the Canucks’ resurgence, but his underwhelming performance has raised questions about his value and fit in Vancouver.
Trade rumors surrounding Pettersson have emerged several times this season, given his declining form and the massive liability his contract has become. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Vancouver front office might need to have a serious discussion with Pettersson this summer about whether he would like to stay with the Canucks or be better off elsewhere.
“I think the biggest offseason question there is going to be, I would suspect there is going to be a sit-down with Pettersson after the year. There’s got to be a real conversation about where this is going and what the options are,” Friedman stated in a recent episode of the Donnie and Dhali Show.
Friedman emphasized that the Canucks cannot afford to waste another critical year having these conversations; the team’s focus should be on rebuilding and coming back stronger next season. Hence, it is of paramount importance that the front office gets a sense of where Pettersson stands in the offseason itself.
The Canucks could attempt to tease out the player that Pettersson once was, or they could explore other destinations for the seasoned center. “What can we do to get you back to being the player you were a couple of years ago? Or does everybody really believe that right time is to talk to other places you are willing to go?” Friedman opined.
The Canucks might be interested in offloading Pettersson’s humongous contract, but there are significant qualms about whether teams will be willing to absorb it, given his dip.
Maybe a change of scenery could be tremendously useful for Pettersson in finding his game again. At this point, a move is starting to sound increasingly attractive, but for that to happen, Pettersson must waive his no-move clause before anything else.
