The Canucks’ offseason chatter has already moved beyond free agency, and two names are back in the mix for very different reasons: Christian Wolanin and Elias Pettersson.
Wolanin, a former Vancouver defenceman, has landed with the Colorado Avalanche. The move comes over the weekend on a one-year, two-way contract that carries an $850,000 cap hit and a minors salary of $400,000, according to PuckPedia.
It’s a new stop for a player who spent the past season out of the NHL picture. After his two-year deal with Vancouver expired, Wolanin went unsigned in free agency last summer and eventually joined the Providence Bruins on an AHL contract. He put up 31 points in 53 games there.
Before that, Wolanin spent three seasons with the Abbotsford Canucks. He was named the AHL’s defenceman of the year in 2022-23 and helped Abbotsford win a Calder Cup Championship in 2024-25. During his time in the Canucks organization, he appeared in 16 NHL games, all in the 2022-23 season.
The bigger Vancouver storyline, though, is Pettersson.
On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts - The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman floated the Pittsburgh Penguins as a possible fit if the Canucks decide to move their centre. Friedman said:
“Here’s another one I’ve wondered about, and that is Pettersson. Elias Pettersson from the Canucks.
And remember, he has control but… look, he’s got to play better, and that $11.6 [cap hit], everyone’s been talking about that, I know. But again, the ground has shifted here, in a huge way [with NHL salaries].
I’ve sat there and I said, where could he go that could be good for him? I don’t know, I wonder if the Penguins with Crosby and Malkin might be good for him,” Friedman said before saying he believes a change of scenery for Pettersson “has to happen.”
Friedman returned to the topic later in the show and expanded on why he thinks Pettersson could eventually be moved.
“We talked about Pettersson, I think he’s got, he’s got six more years. Does what happened with the salaries change the conversation for him?
We talked about Pittsburgh earlier. He has to agree to this, but I think we all feel he needs a change of scenery.
And I just think these kinds of things will happen with time, that more of the players who have long term [contracts], they’ll be available. And when [Canucks GM Ryan] Johnson gets what he wants and they agree to it, because all of them have some degree of protection, they’ll move on.
Like, you still need some veterans to play with your kids, to shield them, to help them. But I, I think we can see what’s happening in Vancouver.
I don’t think they have any specific plans for here on in, but they will do things to help not jeopardize the rebuild.”
The offseason is still young, and Vancouver’s name is clearly going to keep coming up.
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The move also puts the team in a tough spot on the broadcast side, since the Flames will need to sort out alternative radio plans moving forward. For a fan base used to hearing familiar voices break down signings, trades and draft picks, the loss is more than just a station change, it strips away a significant part of the teams everyday coverage. [Read more 🡒]