It’s once more been a struggle for the Vancouver Canucks to seek out consistency, as they’re currently in seventh place within the Pacific Division with a subpar record of 9-12-2 through the primary 23 games of the 2025-26 NHL campaign.
Naturally, as a team struggles because the Canucks are, there are going to be trade rumors that soon develop. Much of the noise has surrounded team captain Quinn Hughes and his future with the franchise. But one other key player has found himself in the midst of additional whispers of probably being moved.
Swedish forward Elias Pettersson has been suggested as a possible trade possibility by Insider Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, as he notes that the Canucks are actually willing to take heed to offers from opposing clubs for a few of their veteran players.
“The Canucks are going to be a hotbed of rumors through this season, and with colleague Elliotte Friedman reporting on Monday night that Vancouver is listening to offers on its veteran players, everyone seems to be today attempting to decipher what that might mean,” Kypreos wrote via Sportsnet. “It’s hard not to think about Pettersson in light of this development. Despite now having a full no-movement clause, it has been thought that if things went sour again this season for the Canucks that each the team and player can be open to a change.”
Kypreos then notes that the Carolina Hurricanes have been listed as a team that’s believed to have had discussions with the Canucks a few potential Pettersson acquisition.
This wouldn’t be an imminent move, because the Canucks still must be convinced that this season has truly been lost,” he wrote. “It’s believed the Hurricanes and Canucks have had discussions about Pettersson previously, and there is no reason to consider there is not an ongoing dialogue……While a Pettersson trade could be slower to develop this season, he’ll remain on this list until the Canucks can prove they’ll contend for a playoff spot.”
The Canucks may soon get busy on the trade market, which can be a disappointing end to the tenures of whoever ultimately gets moved that the franchise had hoped would cause them to postseason success.
The Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly fascinated about Elias Pettersson
If the Hurricanes attempt to accumulate Elias Pettersson from the Canucks, it would not be the primary time that that they had swung for the fences with a significant acquisition.
Last season, Carolina acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche in a surprising move that caught so many off guard, but they weren’t capable of get him to commit to a long-term extension in Carolina. They were reportedly fascinated about flipping him to the Toronto Maple Leafs to try to acquire Mitch Marner in return, but that deal didn’t work out.
They then eventually traded him to the Dallas Stars.