It's once again been a struggle for the Vancouver Canucks to find consistency, as they're currently in seventh place in the Pacific Division with a subpar record of 9-12-2 through the first 23 games of the 2025-26 NHL campaign.
Naturally, as a team struggles as 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 another key player has found himself in the middle of additional whispers of potentially being moved.
Swedish forward Elias Pettersson has been suggested as a potential trade possibility by Insider Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, as he notes that the Canucks are now willing to listen to offers from opposing clubs for some 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 is today trying to decipher what that could mean,” Kypreos wrote via Sportsnet. “It’s hard not to think of 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 both the team and player would be open to a change.”
Kypreos then notes that the Carolina Hurricanes have been listed as a team that is believed to have had discussions with the Canucks about a potential Pettersson acquisition.
This wouldn’t be an imminent move, as the Canucks still need to be convinced that this season has truly been lost,” he wrote. “It’s believed the Hurricanes and Canucks have had discussions about Pettersson in the past, and there's no reason to believe there isn't an ongoing dialogue……While a Pettersson trade might 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 would be a disappointing end to the tenures of whoever ultimately gets moved that the franchise had hoped would lead them to postseason success.
The Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly interested in Elias Pettersson
If the Hurricanes attempt to acquire Elias Pettersson from the Canucks, it wouldn't be the first time that they had swung for the fences with a major acquisition.
Last season, Carolina acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche in a stunning move that caught so many off guard, but they weren't able to get him to commit to a long-term extension in Carolina. They were reportedly interested in flipping him to the Toronto Maple Leafs to try and acquire Mitch Marner in return, but that deal didn't work out.
They then eventually traded him to the Dallas Stars.
