The Vancouver Canucks are fielding calls from around the NHL on two of their star forwards.
While it may have seemed inconceivable the Canucks would be willing to trade Elias Pettersson not that long ago, that is the point we’ve reached. Reporting from national media suggests the Canucks are listening carefully to all offers.
The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to come up in Pettersson rumours as they’ve been mentioned multiple times as a potential fit by Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal.
While the 26-year-old Pettersson hasn’t been at the top of his powers over the last 12 months, he’s still an elite young talent with a 100-point season under his belt. The return in any trade would be massive and the Blue Jackets have the assets to make it happen.
“One team I’ve been told to keep an eye on is Columbus, they have the young players and the draft picks to pull off a Pettersson trade,” said Dhaliwal.
There are several intriguing packages the Blue Jackets could offer for Pettersson that would at least cause the Canucks to think long and hard. They would need to put forward a significant young player as the centrepiece and the good news for the Blue Jackets is that they have multiple names who fit the bill.
Young stars
Adam Fantilli was the third-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He’s made the full-time jump to the show but has experienced some growing pains. He’s got 19 points in 41 games this year. While those aren’t the most incredible numbers, he’s still just 20 years old.
Fantilli oozes potential, plays centre, and has the draft pedigree to be the centrepiece of a Pettersson trade. If the Blue Jackets are not willing to move on from him already, then perhaps it’s Denton Mateychuk who is the prize going the other way.
Mateychuk is also just 20 years old but scored 25 points in his first 27 games as a defenceman. He was picked 12th overall in the 2022 draft and seems to be a star blueliner in the making.
No matter who it is, they won’t be enough on their own to get a deal done. Pettersson has already proven himself at the NHL level far more than either Fantilli or Mateychuk and thus the Canucks will be looking for some secondary pieces as well.
Intriguing secondary pieces
The Blue Jackets have some more players who the Canucks could want in any package. BC native Kent Johnson is a former first-round pick who has excelled this season with 24 points in 28 games. He’s a talented offensive centre who is starting to put it together at the NHL level.
Cole Sillinger is another centre who would help the Canucks replace Pettersson’s production down the middle. He’s a strong two-way player with 22 points in 40 games so far this year, respectable middle-six production.
Either of those two centres would help reinforce the middle of the ice for Canucks in Pettersson’s absence.
More Blue Jackets assets
The Blue Jackets also have a stockpile of draft picks. They have two first-round picks for 2025, two thirds in 2026, and five picks in the first three rounds of the 2027 draft. These could be sweeteners in any deal.
If Patrik Allvin really wants to get rid of Pettersson before his trade protection kicks in next year, the Blue Jackets are a team that can make it happen.