The Elias Pettersson trade watch keeps circling back to one familiar name: the Los Angeles Kings.
Vancouver has already moved one Pettersson, and now the question is whether another one could be next. New GM Ryan Johnson has talked about resetting the culture, and it’s fair to ask how that plays out if Elias Pettersson remains in the lineup. The sense around the league is that the 27-year-old centre could use a change of scenery, and Canucks management is reportedly “motivated to move” him.
That’s easier said than done. Pettersson is owed $11.6 million per year through 2032, and he also carries a full no-movement clause.
Still, the contract may not be the roadblock it once would have been. With the salary cap climbing, $11.6 million is becoming more manageable, especially in a league where 32-year-old centre Colton Sissons just landed a $4.25-million deal after a six-goal season.
And if Vancouver is heading in a different direction, there’s a decent chance Pettersson would welcome a new landing spot.
The Kings have been the team most often tied to him, and according to TSN’s Farhan Lalji, they’ve already checked in.
“There has been some conversation around Elias Pettersson. I do know that the Kings made a call and they kicked the tires,” TSN’s Farhan Lalji said on Thursday’s edition of Donnie and Dhali.
“It wasn’t a formal offer, but I don’t think what they were discussing providing back was necessarily going to be good enough yet. But I think those conversations are going to continue as well.”
The fit makes sense on paper. With Anze Kopitar now retired, Los Angeles has been viewed by many as a team that could use Pettersson down the middle. But the Kings also took steps on Wednesday that complicate the picture, adding Mats Zuccarello, Erik Haula, and Corey Perry while also re-signing Scott Laughton.
That leaves them with only $1.8 million in projected cap space, according to PuckPedia, which doesn’t exactly scream flexibility for a Pettersson deal.
If Los Angeles can’t make it work, the search for another fit gets murkier. Carolina has been linked to Pettersson before, but with Logan Stankoven emerging and a Stanley Cup championship already in hand, that path feels less likely now.
Seattle is another team worth watching. The Kraken are looking to make a splash and were left reeling after Jason Robertson snubbed them, and they still have more than $18 million in cap space.
However this plays out, Pettersson is shaping up to be one of the more interesting names to follow.
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