Trade talk has started to swirl again around Elias Pettersson, but David Pagnotta says the Vancouver Canucks are pointed in a different direction.
The latest buzz came after reports that the Pettersson family bought a home in Los Angeles, which naturally fueled speculation about a possible fit with the Kings. Los Angeles still does not have a clear long-term No. 1 center, so the dots were easy enough for people to connect. But Pagnotta’s read is that Vancouver’s priority is not moving Pettersson - it’s trying to fix him.
Speaking on Sekeres and Price, Pagnotta said the Kings did have real interest at one point.
“I think if the price drops and the opportunity is there, I think Ken Holland and company would pounce on that,” Pagnotta said. “The interest was real.”
Even so, he made it clear that Los Angeles is working with what it has right now. “For the time being, they’re going to practice with having Adrian Kempe at center and Byfield being the 2C,” he said.
That brings the focus back to Vancouver and a player coming off another rough year. Pettersson led the Canucks with 51 points in 74 games, but that number still landed well below expectations for him. His season was part of a much larger collapse for the club, which finished last in the NHL at 25-49-8 and then went through major front-office and coaching changes.
Pagnotta said the Canucks are investing in Pettersson’s game rather than shopping him.
“The Canucks have taken an approach with him, especially with the Sedins, where they want to get him back on track,” Pagnotta said.
He went a step further, explaining that the goal is about more than just comfort. “I think it’s not just that,” Pagnotta said. “I think it’s more so geared towards the right environment in terms of getting him back to where he was.”
Pagnotta also laid out what Vancouver is realistically aiming for. “May not necessarily be a 100-point guy again, but can you get him back to point-of-game pace? And that’s what the Canucks have been focused on and are going to be focused on this season with him specifically.”
That’s the path the Canucks seem to be taking: not a fire-sale move, but a rebuild around restoring Pettersson’s confidence and output. He remains one of the organization’s biggest assets, and dealing him now would mean selling at a low point after two disappointing seasons.
For now, Vancouver’s plan is simple. Get Pettersson back on track, and let the rest sort itself out later.
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