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How Long Can the Canucks Wait for Elias Pettersson?

Originally posted on Trade Talk Sports | By Old Prof | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 6:13 PM ET

Enough with the endless speculation. For months—maybe years—Elias Pettersson has been the most talked-about player in Vancouver. But not for the reasons you want your franchise cornerstone to be. The quiet star with the massive contract and even larger expectations has become a mystery the Canucks can’t seem to solve—or stop talking about.

He isn’t playing up to his regular standards, and there are rumours about trading him. How long can the team wait for him to come around? Or, do they even have a choice except to do so?

What Has Been Pettersson’s Most Pressing Problem?

Was he injured last season? Disengaged? Miscast as a leader? The questions pile up, and the answers never arrive. Even after signing his long-awaited extension, fans are still stuck in the same cycle: Will the real Pettersson show up? NHL insider Nick Kypreos recently told Halford and Brough that another team might “reignite” Pettersson—that the right environment could pull the elite player back to the surface. So is he broken here? Or has Vancouver failed to reach him?

The Canucks clearly made a choice last season when they kept Pettersson and moved J.T. Miller. In doing so, they bet on talent over fire, silence over snarl. But it’s fair to ask: was that the right call? Would this team, under new coach Adam Foote, look different—more stable, more driven—if Miller had been the one to stay?

Pettersson Could Be Great, But Hasn’t Been

It’s not that Pettersson can’t be great. No one knows if he wants to be here enough to be great for this team. Vancouver fans are tired of playing emotional roulette every offseason. The team seems poised to roll the dice on him one more time. One more summer of training. One more chance to start strong. And, one more try to re-rail the expensive Swedish forward.

Maybe that’s the right move. But let’s be honest: it’s a gamble. And this time, the Canucks are betting not just on Pettersson—but on themselves to make it matter.

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

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