Should Elias Pettersson Be A Habs Trade Target?

There is no denying that Pettersson is a very skilled centre and may be one of the better options on the market when looking at production only, but that contract that pays him $11.6 million a season for the next 6 years is very hefty for a guy that performs more like a lower-end 1st line centre rather than the superstar money that he is being paid. Luckily, the salary cap will be skyrocketing over the next few years, which will make taking on that contract hurt less, but it is looking like one that still may not age well even by the end of this deal.

As it stands, Benchrates’ Overpaid/Underpaid tool has Pettersson currently being severely overpaid, as his power score during the 2025-26 season shows him as a player who should be paid $5 million less at $6.6 million a year. This past year, Pettersson scored only 15 goals and 51 points in 74 games, which is just 0.68 points per game. This was the worst point production of his career, just narrowly below the 0.72 that he put up in the 2024-25 season (46 points in 64 games). Meanwhile, before that, he was either above a point per game or putting up numbers around that mark. It is almost as if he got his big contract and stopped performing like the star player he could be. With that being said, it wouldn’t make sense for the Canadiens to take on his contract at the full $11.6 million cap hit for the next 6 years if he continues to decline in production.

At the same time, it could just be that he needs a change of scenery, as the truth is nothing went well for the Canucks this past season. To start things off, the Quinn Hughes midseason trade that he forced led to Pettersson needing to step up in a bit more of a leadership role, which he couldn’t do very well. Essentially, it seems that Pettersson would be better suited somewhere where he wouldn’t need to be the team leader, which is why a trade to Montreal could be good for him even though the salary wouldn’t make much sense for the Habs.

On the positive side, there have been some rumours that the Canucks could be willing to retain up to $3 million a season on Pettersson’s contract, which could make him much more enticing, as at $8.6 million he could be a decent 2nd line centre behind Nick Suzuki for years to come. However, even at that, he will need to show that he can still put up 65-70 points again, similarly to his earlier years in Vancouver.

Another issue with Pettersson is that he is a very lanky 6’2″, 176 lbs centre. While he may be on the taller side, he is very light, which doesn’t make him very imposing on the ice. The Canadiens need a 2nd line centre that can bring a mix of skill and physicality, as was learned during this year’s postseason. Unfortunately, Pettersson just can’t be the player that the team would need him to be as a 2nd line centre. He has a ton of skill, but his size makes him have to play a soft finesse game, as he never put on the muscle needed to be anything else. Honestly the fact that he is lanky and easier to push off the puck could be a reason for his decline. Although the big money coming before seeing a steep decline in production is definitely the most concerning thing about Pettersson.

Unless the Habs could get a part of Pettersson’s contract retained, they should probably stay far away from him in any trade even if it’s related to dumping the final year of Gallagher’s contract. Pettersson has been showing red flags in his play since getting his massive deal, and it wouldn’t be surprising in a few years that the Canucks buy him out after multiple years of underachieving play. There is the chance he bounces back outside Vancouver, but it doesn’t seem like he is heading that way. As for the Habs, they should look elsewhere for their 2nd line centre role and stick to the original plan of trading Gallagher to the Canucks along with a pick as a sweetener for future considerations.

Do you agree that trading for Pettersson could be too risky, or do you see him bouncing back from two disastrous seasons?