Elias Pettersson's Days In Vancouver Numbered? Top Hockey Analyst Out of the Eastern Conference Has Made a Shocking Claim

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Tyler Ball
August 24, 2023 (3:53 PM)

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The Vancouver Canucks are still trying to break through their recent playoff drought that has lasted since 2020.

The Canucks have the pieces to build a good team that can contend if they can find the support pieces to fill the gaps. However one of the best players could be on his way out of Vancouver sooner than everyone thought.

Petterson In No Hurry To Sign Extension

Elias Pettersson is far and away the Canucks best player. The 24-year-old center most recently put up 104 points during the 2022-23 season. Many around the league have been waiting for Pettersson and the Canucks to finalize a long-term deal to keep the budding superstar in Vancouver. However, in a new interview done with Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, the extension may not be coming soon.

I got one more year left over there. And I don't want to rush into anything because I still don't know myself if it's going to be a short- or long-term (contract), Pettersson told Friedman on Wednesday. It's going to be probably my biggest contract so far. So I don't want to stress anything.

Pettersson sounds like he is happy to wait and let the process play itself out. He is heading into the final year of a 3-year deal with an AAV of $7,350,000. At the end of this deal, Pettersson will be a restricted free agent (RFA) which does still give the Canucks some control over Pettersson staying in Vancouver.

Boston Could Be In On Pettersson

The Boston Bruins are coming off a historic NHL season in 2022-23 where they broke records. Unfortunately for them, it did not lead to playoff success. They also lost their top two options at center to retirement in Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

With no natural in-house replacements for Bergeron and Krejci, the Bruins have begun to look to other organizations for a center. Elias Pettersson could be added to the list of candidates if the Canucks make him available via trade or if he makes it to free agency.

The other top options for the 2024 free agent class when it comes to center icemen are Mark Scheifele and Elias Lindholm. Both Scheifele and Lindholm will be in their early 30s when the seasons get into full swing in 2024-25. While Pettersson will be just turning 26.

Pettersson would give the Bruins a clear advantage over the other two in that the window of Petterson's prime is just beginning. This will likely also make Pettersson more expensive both in his contract and in the fact that they would need to give up draft picks to acquire Petterson.

If the Bruins can deal with the idea of giving up extra assets for more years of peak performance Elias Pettersson is their best option.

As Read On - Boston Hockey Now - Murphy: Should The Bruins Try To Acquire Elias Pettersson?