Elias Pettersson is back in the trade spotlight, and Adam Foote now coaches a Vancouver team that may finally be ready to move on.
That's the shift in this story. Pettersson was always a logical trade candidate as the Canucks slid through the last few seasons, but his $11.6 million cap hit kept the market tight.
Under the previous front office, Vancouver had little interest in retaining salary. That stance made a deal hard to build and even harder to finish.
Now the tone around the league sounds different. New management appears more flexible, and that changes the pressure around Pettersson in a hurry.
The biggest development came from David Pagnotta, who laid out the shift in direct terms. His wording matters because it points to a real change in how Vancouver is approaching this file.
"His name has come up a lot more," said David Pagnotta on Hello Hockey. "And there is a belief now with a new GM in place in Vancouver that there's a little bit of an appetite to retain on that deal."
That one detail is the door-opener. Retention is what could turn Pettersson from a complicated contract into an actual trade target again.
Retention changes the whole market
Pagnotta made it clear this was not the case before the front-office change. Vancouver had been firm, and there was no sign they wanted to eat any part of the contract they handed out.
"Prior to that nothing, they weren't budging and weren't gonna eat any of that money," admitted Pagnotta.
Now the conversation has moved from if Vancouver would retain to how much. And that's where this gets serious for teams looking for a top-six center with high-end skill.
"It sounds like maybe a couple mil, something in that range, two to three million if the deal works," said Pagnotta. "And I think that's engaged a few teams."
Those teams reportedly include the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Philadelphia Flyers. That doesn't mean a trade is done, but it does mean the Canucks have taken the first real step toward making one possible.
Should the Canucks retain salary to move Elias Pettersson?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
The ugly situation that caused Brady Tkachuk to request a trade is revealed by Friedman and it's ugly
