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Elliotte Friedman Questions Elias Pettersson's Future with Canucks

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Feb 4, 2025 6:45 AM ET

With J.T. Miller traded to the New York Rangers, Elias Pettersson is now the face of the Vancouver Canucks.

The organization made its choice by moving Miller, ending a long-reported rift between the two players later confirmed by team president Jim Rutherford.

However, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes Pettersson’s long-term future in Vancouver is still undecided, with the insider calling for patience when it comes to what the Canucks might do next with him.

"We’ll see what happens out of Four Nations," Friedman said on Monday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast. "In theory, they control the process until July 1. That’s when Pettersson’s no-move clause kicks in, right?

"If they want, they can go right up until the draft, as far as I’m concerned. But they definitely want to calm down the noise."

Canucks president Rutherford confirmed the tensions between Miller and Pettersson in an interview with The Globe and Mail's Gary Mason on Jan. 28, saying multiple attempts to resolve their issues had failed.

"I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved," Rutherford said. "But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again."

Now, with Miller gone, the pressure shifts entirely to Pettersson.

"Honestly, I want that pressure," Pettersson said on Sunday. "And it’s up to me to take it."

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin expects more from Pettersson moving forward.

"That’s part of being a pro hockey player, especially when you commit to that contract," Allvin said following the Miller trade. "My expectation is higher on him than anyone else on our team, and I expect him to meet my expectations, and I expect him to meet his own expectation.

"So far, he has not done that. If you talk to him, he’s disappointed. But he’s aware of it, and I know that he’s capable and that he will work at it.”

Pettersson is in the first season of an eight-year, $92.8 million extension signed on Mar. 2, 2024. He has scored 33 points in 46 games this season, including 11 goals. Pettersson's current 2.3 points-per-60-minute rate is his worst career-wide coming off scoring at a 3.3 PTS/60 rate last year.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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