Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos unveiled the latest edition of his trade board on Wednesday, based on what he's hearing around the league. Kypreos brought up Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks as a potential player on the trade block and called the Red Wings as a potential fit.
"Vancouver's best interest is to prop up Pettersson a bit more, but the player also needs to play better for the Canucks to maximize their return in a possible trade," Kypreos wrote. "Despite his struggles, the 27-year-old centre is still an attractive asset to some teams out there and we'd put Carolina at the top of the list. Teams that have stockpiled assets for the past few years and are looking for a centre in his prime age range are the most likely partners in a Pettersson trade. Detroit would be another one, and Los Angeles needs to replace Anze Kopitar, who is on his way to retirement."
The move makes some sense for the Wings.
Rebuilding Canucks present Red Wings with perfect opportunity
The Red Wings' priority at the trade deadline should be stocking up the defense. After all, they are linked to Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames. But, it wouldn't hurt to add some scoring prowess to their roster.
As of Jan. 15, the Red Wings rank in the middle of the pack when it comes to scoring, as they average 3.06 goals per game (18th in NHL). That's certainly not ideal, especially since their Atlantic Division competition, the Tampa Bay Lightning (3.51 goals per game) and the Montreal Canadiens (3.34 goals per game), are in the top five.
The Canucks have already traded their best player in Quinn Hughes this season, as they hinted to trying to build a younger roster. Now, with less than two months until the trade deadline, it appears the Canucks are ready to do more business.
TSN's Darren Dreger said that the Canucks are "now using the rebuild word," and even mentioned they could possibly trade Pettersson.
“Obviously, every club in the National Hockey League has untouchables, but management of the Vancouver Canucks is now using the rebuild word, so they have to be open for business, open for just about anything, and that might include finally trading Elias Pettersson," Dreger said on Insider Trading Tuesday. “Now, we know that there’s been a ton of speculation from a media perspective on Pettersson’s future with the Vancouver Canucks. That was more into the off-season, more last season than to this point.
Dreger added that there has been no communication with the agent who represents Elias Pettersson, Pat Brisson, and that will be necessary because of his no-move clause.
If the Canucks want to successfully have a younger roster with higher upside, than trading their best players would do the trick. As Dreger says though, Pettersson would have to accept a trade. Would Detroit be a team that Pettersson would accept a trade to? That's not known currently.
Pettersson isn't having the greatest season, production wise. Through 38 games, Pettersson recorded 13 goals and 15 assists, and a -13 plus-minus ratio. It's similar to his season last year, where he posted 15 goals and 30 assists through 64 games. But maybe a change of scenery could work wonders for Pettersson, and he can return to his All-Star form. Most importantly, help a team like the Red Wings make the playoffs and go on a run.
It will be interesting to see if Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman does aim to make a splash at the trade deadline. After all, he was criticized by Dylan Larkin last year for standing pat. If he does, could Pettersson be the target?