The Elias Pettersson story has become a fascinating one to watch over the past 24 hours. Word leaked that the Vancouver Canucks were having trade conversations with the Carolina Hurricanes. Almost immediately after that news became public, reports surfaced that Pettersson came back to Vancouver looking to talk extension. Seemingly concerned that the Canucks might trade him, talk now is that both sides are trying to get this done. What’s interesting is the chatter that an ultimatum offer is out there now that both sides are back at the table.
Elliotte Friedman noted on the 32 Thoughts podcast: “The talks with Carolina, those were legit, Carolina made an offer, I don’t know what it was, but at the very least it made Vancouver think.” Now, as the Canucks and Pettersson pivot to talking long-term extension, another report is surfacing that Vancouver might be playing a little hardball with the leverage on their side.
Darren Dreger noted on TSN Insider Trading that Pettersson’s AAV could come in slightly above William Nylander‘s $11.5 million per season. So, at the end of the day, Pettersson will be doing just fine financially. But, a report by Nick Kypreos suggested the Canucks have tabled an offer of around $90-$96 million. The belief is that they won’t go any higher and if he doesn’t accept, the Canucks will pivot back to trade talks.
Canucks Tired of Playing the Waiting Game with Pettersson?
Ideally, the Canucks want this contract business taken care of. They’ve been patient and are offering a lot of money to their star forward. The changes over the last few hours suggest Pettersson wants to get this done too. That said, it appears both sides coming back to the table only works if each is done delaying things.
The Canucks have made it clear they intend to pay Pettersson well. Pettersson seems prepared to commit. But, if he waits any longer or toys with the Canucks’ latest offer, Vancouver has a week to turn around and make the deal they might have had on the back-burner with the Hurricanes.
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