Over the past few weeks, the expectation has been that if Vancouver winds up moving one of its top two centers, that player was likely to be J.T. Miller. Last weekend, a potential deal was close enough that the Canucks pondered scratching him but the move never materialized and Miller remained in the lineup that night.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, various reports indicated that Carolina was in discussion with Vancouver about both Miller and Elias Pettersson with various proposed offers for either one. Ultimately, neither of those happened with the Hurricanes instead pivoting to adding Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall from Colorado and Chicago respectively.
But with discussions for Miller not seemingly going well, it appears that teams are still calling about Pettersson. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Sabres are believed to be among the teams showing a lot of interest in the 26-year-old. The Fourth Period suggests that the Senators could be a team to keep an eye on as well.
Pettersson is in the first season of an eight-year, $92.8MM contract, or a cap hit of $11.6MM per season. Notably, since this is the final of his original RFA-eligible years, Pettersson doesn’t have any form of trade protection. Miller, on the other hand, has a full no-move clause which could make things more complicated for the Canucks.
Two years ago, Pettersson put up his first 100-point season, picking up 39 goals and 63 assists in 80 games. He wasn’t quite able to reach those numbers in 2023-24 but still managed 34 goals and 55 helpers, giving him another season of over a point per game. While that wasn’t elite production, it was still legitimate top-line numbers at a premium position.
Unfortunately for both Pettersson and the Canucks, the decline in output has continued into this season. He has 11 goals and 19 assists through 42 games, putting him fifth on Vancouver in scoring. While some believe his struggles are at least in some part related to the apparent rift between him and Miller, it’s clear that the Canucks are expecting much more from him either way.
Both Buffalo and Ottawa have younger centers on long-term deals that would seemingly serve as starting points for a Pettersson offer. Dylan Cozens is only two years removed from a 31-goal, 68-point season and is signed through 2030 at $7.1MM per year. Meanwhile, Josh Norris has a 35-goal campaign under his belt from 2021-22 and checks in at $7.95MM per season through 2030.
Neither player is a number one middleman but would give Vancouver a serviceable second option behind Miller. Of course, those would only be the starting point of offers and finding the other pieces needed will determine whether a swap gets past the finish line. And again, other teams are believed to be interested as it’s not too often that a top-line center in his prime becomes available.
At this point, it doesn’t look like the Canucks are getting the types of offers they’re hoping for to get a Miller trade done. As a result, a Pettersson move looks like it’s starting to become a bit more palatable so expect GM Patrik Allvin to be fielding more calls about his young center in the coming days.
shocking
Vancouver is a trainwreck, And it falls, On ownership, Allvin, And Tocchet, They are becoming a league joke.
You’re this websites joke
not Tocchet’s fault
Welcome to Philly you beautiful big headed boy!
Senators deal sounds intriguing
Trade both Miller and Pettersson and get players that want to work together.
Video game trade, but that might be what this trade ends up looking like…who says no?
Tuch Cozens and Byram for Pettersson and Boeser, who says no?
no
Sabres arent in the playoff race so adding a rental like Boeser makes 0 sense
I’m for the Sabres to make a trade. They do lack another top scorer to pair with Tage. Giving up Byram would require the Sabres to add to their D Corps. They lack quality defensemen at the moment. Power is still in his learning curve and will be fine down the road. But acquiring a rental player is not what the Sabres should be doing.
Buffalo needs a quality defenseman coming back if they are giving up Byram in a trade. No to any rental player as well.
Assumes resigning him, which I admit is dubious. Had it as Pettersson and a first, originally.
Double No!