The Maple Leafs have a clearer sense now of what it might take to land Elias Pettersson, and the price tag may not be as punishing as many would expect.
Pettersson has been a name floating around trade chatter since this past season, with talk building toward the offseason that he could be on the move out of Vancouver. The reasons are easy enough to see: he has struggled to get back to his top form, his contract is expensive, and the Canucks have looked increasingly willing to move on the longer this situation has dragged.
At the same time, Pettersson is still Pettersson. He has put together back-to-back seasons of 85-plus points, including a 102-point explosion in 2022-23, and he brings more than offense. His game also includes above average defence, physicality, and some shot-blocking.
Right now, he’s stuck on a Canucks team that feels middling and without a clear direction, even if Vancouver is trying to build back toward being competitive.
According to Thomas Drance of The Athletic, though, a Pettersson trade may not require the kind of massive haul some teams would fear. Drance said the best-case scenario for Vancouver could look similar to the Darnell Nurse deal.
“On Pettersson, I think you're looking at something similar to the Darnell Nurse trade return as a best-case scenario.”
That would mean the return isn’t necessarily about piling up premium assets. In the Nurse deal, Edmonton got two very good young players who could help sooner rather than later, but the bigger motivation was getting Nurse’s money off the books. That appears to be the kind of outcome Vancouver would be chasing if it truly decided to move Pettersson, especially if the club is serious about rebuilding around youth.
For Toronto, that kind of framework is encouraging, but it doesn’t make the path simple.
The Leafs would first have to move Morgan Rielly’s contract, and even then they’d still need to clear another $5-million and change to fit Pettersson in if Vancouver doesn’t retain salary. Max Domi’s LTIR relief would help, covering more than half of what remains after Rielly is gone, but Toronto would still be operating very close to the cap.
That likely means getting creative. A third team could be needed to help send pieces to Vancouver, ease Toronto’s cap situation, and make the money work.
Finding that partner would be the tricky part, since it would need to absorb a meaningful salary hit without gutting its own asset base. John Chayka would have plenty to sort through.
It’s a complicated route, but Pettersson would change the Leafs’ lineup immediately. That may be what makes the heavy lifting worth it.
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