The upcoming offseason’s scarcity of available centers on the free agent market could potentially reignite trade discussions surrounding Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson. This perspective comes from Chris Johnston, who discussed the situation with Julian McKenzie on “The Chris Johnston Show.”
Johnston highlighted that with few readily available solutions in free agency, teams will likely need to pursue trades to address their needs down the middle. He suggested that several prominent centers could become trade targets, though not all are guaranteed to move, teams may be exploring their value.
“And it’s why I even wonder about someone like Elias Pettersson, Julian,” Johnston stated. “We’ve discussed him extensively. His career has taken a turn, and there’s new management in Vancouver now. But I still believe there would be some degree of interest in him.”
He acknowledged the significant risk associated with Pettersson’s contract if acquired at full value, especially if his offensive game doesn’t rebound to previous levels. “If he doesn’t show an improvement in his offensive game, you know, it’s a lot of money to be paying someone to do that,” Johnston elaborated.
However, Johnston also pointed out Pettersson’s continued value as a top-two center for most NHL teams, capable of handling difficult minutes and providing defensive reliability. The key factor for justifying his substantial contract, he noted, would be the return of his offensive upside.
Despite the challenges, Johnston believes the conditions are favorable for Pettersson to be moved. He suggested that a fresh start is likely inevitable at some point, whether this offseason, next year’s trade deadline, or the following offseason. “It’s hard to imagine it,” he admitted, “it just feels like there’s a lot of water under the bridge in Vancouver.”
While acknowledging that the new management group won’t rush into a decision and doesn’t feel pressured to trade him, Johnston concluded, “he’s someone I could see moving for kind of the reason we’re talking about. There’s just not a lot of, how else do you fill a hole down the middle?”
