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Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson is a trade candidate this season. This was the case before the Canucks placed him on injured reserve back on January 3. It stems from a reported rift between him and J.T. Miller in the Canucks locker room. Interested teams, and Vancouver by extension, received great news on Friday regarding Pettersson's status.
Pettersson was activated off injured reserve by Vancouver, the team confirmed. He has not played since December 23 when the Canucks defeated the San Jose Sharks. His activation clears the way for him to play on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Pettersson has emerged as one of the better centers in the NHL. Two seasons ago, he surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. This year, he is quite off that pace. Still, Pettersson has scored 10 goals and 28 points in 34 games. This places him on pace for 23 goals and 62 points in 76 games during the regular season.
Elias Pettersson returns as teams call Canucks to talk trade
Elias Pettersson is not living up to the massive eight-year contract extension he signed last season. This, combined with the rift with Miller, has opened up the possibility of a trade. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin admitted as much when discussing how Pettersson needs to grow beyond his on-ice abilities.
“Petey has shown up to this point that he is an extremely talented, quality player that could and should be a No. 1 centre. I believe in him. I believe that he's capable. (But) he needs to mature and understand that there are certain expectations and it does not get easier. And you need to face the music when things don't go well. Is it (a trade) possible? I guess I would say anything is possible,” Allvin said before the new year, via Sportsnet's Iain McIntyre.
Of course, a trade involving Pettersson is not guaranteed. Especially in the middle of the season when teams are well against the salary cap threshold. However, there are certainly a number of teams interested in the 26-year-old. The New York Rangers are one team that has come up in trade rumors. More recently, the Boston Bruins entered the fray.
It appears as if something is going to give between the Canucks and Pettersson. How that unfolds certainly remains to be seen. For now, Vancouver is hoping its highest-paid player can return to form beginning on Friday night on the road against the Hurricanes.
