Elias Pettersson’s name is back in the rumor mill, and this time it’s a video clip from Los Angeles that has people talking. The Vancouver Canucks forward was spotted skating there, which was enough to get trade-watchers buzzing, especially with the Los Angeles Kings reportedly among the teams that have checked in on him.
But the footage doesn’t appear to mean much on its own. Rick Dhaliwal has pushed back on the idea that Pettersson being on the ice in Los Angeles is some kind of signal that a move is close.
His wife is from Los Angeles, which gives him a pretty straightforward offseason reason to train there. Dhaliwal also reported that a possible trade hasn’t come close to happening in recent months.
Pettersson’s 2025-26 season didn’t help quiet the chatter. He finished with 51 points in 74 games, and the Canucks have challenged him to raise his level of play. Still, the current read is that Vancouver will wait and see how he responds before revisiting the trade market during the season.
Out in Colorado, the conversation is shifting from speculation to dollars. Cale Makar is now eligible for an extension, and the Avalanche defenseman is lining up for a massive payday as he enters the final season of his current deal. With huge contracts flying around the league this summer, there’s already noise that Makar could end up near the $20 million annual mark.
Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette pointed to an intriguing backdrop here, with Makar and Quinn Hughes potentially each waiting to see who sets the next bar for elite defensemen. On the Hughes side, Josh Cybulski of Pro Hockey Rumors says there’s no real rush. As he put it:
“Looking at all the noise around Hughes and the Wild, it’s quite clear that one side of the negotiation needs the other far more than the other. To state things bluntly, the Wild need Hughes far more than he needs them.
There are 31 other NHL teams, but only one Quinn Hughes. Minnesota has already committed a lot of assets to Hughes, which gives him leverage to ask for anything he wants.
If he doesn’t want to compromise in any way, he is the one holding all the cards, and walking away would damage the Wild and their reputation far more than it would Hughes.”
In Edmonton, the Oilers are holding some cards of their own. General manager Stan Bowman said the team expects to open the season with roughly $4 million to $4.5 million in salary-cap space, leaving room to add later if the right player becomes available.
Bowman said a forward is the likeliest target. Edmonton already has three goaltenders and plenty of depth on defense, so the remaining cap room appears to be aimed at the front end.
Even then, the Oilers may want to see how their roster looks under head coach Mike Babcock before making a move. Bowman said the club wants to evaluate how players handle Babcock’s system and accountability standards first, and if some pieces don’t fit, Edmonton could get more aggressive in the trade market.
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Mike Babcocks history adds another layer of intrigue because his approach has long leaned toward clear usage patterns and defined responsibilities. For Edmonton, the question is not just which players fit where, but how quickly those choices could create tension around ice time, line deployment and the balance between established stars and the rest of the group. [Read more 🡒]