Elias Pettersson trade rumors just picked up steam, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly in on the Vancouver Canucks center.
Frank Seravalli reported Wednesday that Pittsburgh has been mentioned as a suitor, and the way the Penguins have structured their ask stands out.
According to the report, Pittsburgh wants Ryan Graves included in any framework, along with another player and a draft pick heading to Vancouver.
Graves is having a quiet season in Pittsburgh. Twenty-two games played, one goal, zero assists, a minus-3 rating.
That's not exactly the return you'd expect Vancouver to chase for a former first overall pick still owed term.
Pettersson has struggled through his own brutal stretch. Fifteen goals, thirty-six assists, fifty-one points across seventy-four games, but a minus-30 rating that tells the real story.
His last ten games have produced zero goals and six assists. Five points in his last five outings, and a minus-3 stretch to match it.
Why the Ryan Graves ask makes this deal complicated
Here's the problem. Vancouver isn't looking to add another defenseman on the wrong side of a contract, they're looking to subtract term and cap space.
Pettersson carries an $11,600,000 cap hit. Graves comes in at $4,500,000. Do that math and it doesn't clear much room for a rebuilding club sitting 32nd overall.
The Canucks are 25-49-8 this season, dead last in the league standings with 58 points. This is a team trying to get younger and cheaper, not take on more money for less production.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, sits at 41-25-16 with 98 points, ranked tenth overall. They've lost three straight and gone 5-5-0 over their last ten.
The Penguins beat Vancouver twice this season, 5-1 in October and 3-2 in January, both wins coming with Pittsburgh controlling the game.
Head coach Manny Malhotra has watched his captain-in-waiting turn into trade bait, and there's no clean way to spin a minus-30 season for a $11,600,000 player.
Adding Graves to sweeten this deal feels like Pittsburgh trying to offload a declining asset while dressing it up as a hockey trade. That's a hard sell for Vancouver's front office.
Dan Muse has his own group fighting through a mini-slide right now, and moving a top-six piece for a rebuild target says everything about where the Penguins think this season is headed.
-
Nothing here is finalized. But if Pittsburgh's opening ask includes Graves and a pick, Vancouver's next counter will tell us how badly Elias Pettersson wants out.
Should the Canucks reject any Elias Pettersson trade that includes Ryan Graves?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Leo Carlsson finally breaks his silence on his $18 million offer sheet
