The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the mix on Elias Pettersson, but the gap between interest and an actual deal still looks wide.
That’s the read from NHL insider Rick Dhaliwal, who said on an episode of Oilers Now that Pittsburgh has “some degree of interest” in the Vancouver Canucks center. Even so, Dhaliwal made it clear the Penguins are not lining up to meet the price Vancouver wants.
“I do believe Pittsburgh has some degree of interest in Elias Pettersson, I am not hearing the rumour that the Canucks have asked for Ben Kindel; no way the Penguins are gonna give up such a promising young player...for a bad contract.”
Dhaliwal also said the Canucks have not asked Pettersson to waive his no-trade clause, which he took as another sign that nothing is close.
“Teams that are desperate at center call; I checked in this morning, Pettersson has not been asked...to waive his no-move; that tells you...there's nothing close,” Dhalival added.
Pettersson’s 2025-26 season with Vancouver was productive even if it didn’t end with a playoff berth. He played 74 games, scored 15 goals, added 36 assists and finished with 51 points.
The Philadelphia Flyers are another club keeping tabs on Pettersson, especially after the Anaheim Ducks matched their historic offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, leaving Philadelphia still searching for help down the middle.
But Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger doesn’t want the Flyers going that route. On July 10th, after the Ducks matched the offer sheet, Pronger posted a video asking, “ Where do the Philadelphia Flyers go from here?”
When Q&B Puckcast replied that the Flyers might need to lean on a couple of 2Cs and 3Cs, and another account suggested Pettersson as the answer, Pronger shut that idea down quickly.
“No thank you. VAN can keep him.”
So Pettersson is drawing attention, but the market is still waiting for someone to actually bridge the distance. For the Penguins, that means interest without momentum. For the Flyers, it means a warning from one of the game’s most recognizable voices.
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