The trade deadline is right around the corner, and while it looks like the Calgary Flames won’t be making any major moves after acquiring Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, you can never count out an NHL general manager for making moves out of the blue.
One player in particular that looks to be on his way out of his organization is Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks. In a season full of drama in Vancouver and a major downfall in play, Pettersson looks to be on the outs with both his coach and management, and a change of scenery is likely for the 26-year-old.
With his value currently sitting at an all-time low, could it make sense for the Flames to try and acquire Pettersson for pennies on the dollar?
Pettersson’s season so far
It has been quite the fall from grace this year for the former fifth overall pick in Pettersson. After only becoming more dominant year after year since bursting onto the scene in 2018 and scoring 102 points just two seasons ago, Pettersson has been a shell of his former self for about a calendar year now.
Since signing his big ticket a year ago, Pettersson has been nowhere near the dynamo he once was, many thought it was just due to an injury he sustained last season, however that poor play carried into this season with the Canucks and in the 4 Nations Face-Off with Sweden. He is barely playing at a 50-point pace this season and has become more of a black hole on the ice than a game-breaker for the Canucks.
Even as a fan of a rival team, it has been tough to watch. He went from being one of the most electrifying talents in the entire league to a guy who is barely noticeable on a night-to-night basis. Flames fans know that feeling all too well.
It was thought that once J.T. Miller was moved to the New York Rangers, Pettersson would begin to dominate again, with Miller out of the room and off his back, but the opposite has really happened. Since that trade, Pettersson has only mustered up three assists in the nine games following the trade, and he went pointless for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off. It’s not exactly ideal.
Management and the coaching staff haven’t hidden their frustrations when it has come to Pettersson’s play as well. Rick Tocchet blasted him to the media a week ago, and I have the feeling that until he turns things around, that won’t be the last time we hear it from them.
Could Pettersson be on his way out this season?
I think there could be a real possibility of Pettersson being traded before the deadline on March 7. It is clear he is frustrated with himself, the team, and the media, and it looked that way even before he signed his monster contract last season. The coaching staff and management have seemed to have had enough of it as well, and a clean slate for both sides could be what is needed.
However, I don’t think the Canucks are going to rush to move him. This is a player that scored 102 points just two seasons ago and 89 points last season. There is an immense level of talent here, and it really all seems to be between the ears for Pettersson when it comes to his struggles. If the Canucks move him for pennies on the dollar and he becomes the player that we are all used to seeing again, it will look extremely bad on them and it will hurt the team.
We will see where it goes, but it doesn’t appear that teams are knocking down the doors for Pettersson’s services right now. He would realistically be the perfect buy-low option if that team is certain they can revive Pettersson’s career. That is where the Flames could come in.
Should the Flames make a move for Pettersson?
Now, this is more of a fantasy hockey move than anything, but if Pettersson is on the market, I, at the very least, think the Flames should check in on Pettersson and what it would take to bring him in. A lot of moving parts would have to be included as Pettersson’s cap hit is $11.6M a year, and the Flames will have to make room for the next contracts of Connor Zary, Matt Coronato, Dustin Wolf, and Kevin Bahl.
I have no idea what a move would look like, but moving out, say, Jonathan Huberdeau or Nazem Kadri, would probably be necessary in order to make the money work.
Taking all of that out of the picture and looking at just Pettersson, would it make sense for the Flames to make a move for him? I think you can make an argument for both sides. He would bring a lot of skill and ability to the Flames that they haven’t had since Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk were a part of the team. He has game-breaking talent, the type that the Flames do not have on forward, both currently on the team or in the pipeline.
Pettersson would become the team’s first line centre in a heartbeat, and if he can get himself back on track, he would be the top tier superstar that the Flames need. It would take a lot to get his confidence back to where it needs to be, but when you could bring in a player who is only 26 with a 100-point pedigree, you have to at least consider it.
I can also see the argument for not wanting to bring on Pettersson, even if it is at a reduced cost. The Flames already have one player that sustained a major drop-off in performance after signing a huge contract. You can make the argument that Pettersson’s drop-off was much more significant than Huberdeau’s in that regard, considering the age of each player. If Pettersson is not able to regain any parts of his former self, then the Flames have another long disaster of a contract that they won’t be able to get out of.
Pettersson is worth considering
Even with all the negativity around Pettersson, if he is made available by the Canucks, he is worth checking in on. Players with this much talent at that age never become available for trade. I know there are lots of red flags around Pettersson, and the risk may outweigh the reward, but bringing in Pettersson would be the only way to acquire top-line, superstar-level talent without drafting in the top three, which it looks like the Flames won’t be doing this year.
Sure, the Canucks probably won’t trade him within the division and the cost to acquire him probably won’t be attainable for the Flames, but if Pettersson’s value is deemed low by the Canucks, the Flames should be right in the thick of things when it comes to trading for his services.
