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Elias Pettersson has gotten better every National Hockey League season he's played, and the Swedish star truly broke out with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23. He shattered career-highs across the board, scoring 39 goals and 102 points over an 80-game slate for a team that struggled to produce offense.
Pettersson has continued to get better in 2023-24, leading a fearsome core four that also features JT Miller, Brock Boeser and captain Quinn Hughes.
With 13 goals and 41 points in 34 games in 2023-24, the 25-year-old currently sits third in team scoring, a point behind Hughes and five back of Miller. Boeser is just behind with 38 points, but he's leading the team — and in the upper echelon of the league — with 24 goals.
But Pete is arguably the most important player on the roster, and his next contract has been a hot topic in Vancouver. Slated to become a restricted free agent next summer, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported that extension talks are still stagnant between the two sides.
“Pettersson is still not in a rush to begin extension talks with the Canucks, but [Darren Dreger] reported that the situation should change in the New Year,” the hockey insider explained.
“JP Barry, the veteran agent for Pettersson, will walk his client through the contract options that make sense before officially engaging with the Canucks. There’s no hurry to get it done as Pettersson is a pending restricted free agent, but the Canucks are obviously eager to get that process started finally.”
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Canucks in midst of one of best seasons since Sedins
The Canucks are having a phenomenal year after a brutal stretch that saw them make the playoffs just once in seven tries. The 2023-24 iteration of this team is currently first place in league standings with a seriously impressive 22-9-3 record.
After years of misery for the fan base, this is looking like a legitimate postseason contender, with star power at all three positions and continued excellent goaltending from Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith.
Everyone is chipping in, including the third line of Conor Garland, Dakota Joshua and Teddy Blueger that has emerged into one of, if not the best third line in the NHL.
Things are great for this team right now, but momentum can change quickly. Regardless of how the back half of the campaign unfolds, getting Elias Pettersson locked up long term should be a top priority for both sides.
