Elias Pettersson's future with the Vancouver Canucks looks like it's nearing the end.
Insider Thomas Drance reported this week that Vancouver is now prepared to accept a minimal return, even just a low-level prospect, to move on from Pettersson.
Pettersson is only in year two of an eight-year deal worth $11,600,000 annually, and his production has cratered across both seasons since signing it.
He put up just 51 points in 74 games this season, finishing at a minus-30, numbers nowhere close to what earned him that contract.
Over his last 10 games, Pettersson managed just 6 points and zero goals, exactly the kind of stretch fueling this entire conversation.
Drance pointed to the recent Darnell Nurse trade as the closest comparison, where Edmonton got back only modest prospects for an established veteran defenseman.
The full report lays out exactly how far Vancouver's asking price has fallen.
Why the Darnell Nurse trade sets Pettersson's low bar
Nurse carried a $9,250,000 cap hit and still only fetched a couple of low-cost prospects in return, a deal Vancouver is reportedly using as its own benchmark.
The difference is retention. Edmonton didn't have to eat any of Nurse's salary, while Vancouver wants to move Pettersson's full $11,600,000 without retaining a cent.
Nurse posted just 24 points in 82 games this season for Edmonton, finishing at a minus-12, a modest year that still fetched some return.
That combination, a bloated cap hit and zero retention, is exactly why finding a taker might be harder than even a minimal asking price suggests.
Vancouver finished 25-49-8 for 58 points this season, dead last overall, the kind of season that explains why patience has finally run out.
According to Drance, trading Pettersson is now Vancouver's clear preference. Whether any team actually says yes to those terms is a completely different story.
Would you accept just a low-level prospect to trade Elias Pettersson right now?
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