Adam Foote is now the coach of a Vancouver club that may finally be ready to go on, and Elias Pettersson is back in the trade spotlight.
That’s the shift in this story. Pettersson was always a plausible trade candidate as the Canucks struggled over the past few seasons, but the market was constrained by his $11.6 million cap hit.
Vancouver had little interest in keeping payroll under the prior front office. It was difficult to create and complete a transaction with that mindset.
Around the league, the tone has changed. The pressure on Pettersson shifts suddenly as the new management appears more adaptable.
The biggest improvement came from David Pagnotta, who described the change in simple terms. His words are important because they indicate a significant shift in Vancouver’s strategy for this file.
“His name has come up a lot more,” David Pagnotta said on Hello Hockey. “And now that there’s a new GM in Vancouver, there’s a sense that there’s a desire to keep that contract.”
That single piece of information serves as the key. Retaining Pettersson might make him a target for a genuine trade rather than a difficult contract.
The entire market is changed by retention.
Pagnotta stated that this was not true prior to the front office shift. Vancouver had been unwavering, and there was no indication they were willing to breach any portion of the contract they had offered.
“Before that, they wouldn’t move, and they weren’t going to consume any of that money,” Pagnotta confessed.
The discussion has moved from how much to whether Vancouver would stay now. And this is where it gets dangerous for organizations looking for a top-six center with excellent ability.
Pagnotta stated, “It sounds like maybe a couple mil, anything in that range, two to three million if the deal works out.” “And I believe that has attracted several teams.”
The Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings are reportedly among those clubs. Although it doesn’t guarantee a deal will be made, it does indicate that the Canucks have made the first concrete move toward doing so.
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