The rumor mill is swirling around what Steve Yzerman, who famously keeps his dealings close to the vest, might do to get the Detroit Red Wings through the Ides of March. The players linked to Detroit range from impact forwards who move the needle up front to stabilizing bodies on the blue line of varying quality.
One name that the Red Wings are reportedly pursuing aggressively is Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson. Opinions on the 27-year-old forward are extremely divisive given his up and down career to this point.
Elias Pettersson at a glance
The fifth overall pick of the 2017 draft, Pettersson began making an impact the second he stepped into the NHL during the 2018-19 campaign, winning the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year after notching 66 points (28 goals, 38 assists) in 71 games. He followed that up with another 66 point (27 goals, 39 assists) in only 68 games a year later, then put up 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists) in 17 playoff games for the Canucks.
Pettersson's path to stardom hit a roadblock in 2020-21. He played just 26 games that season (though still had 21 points) as Vancouver dropped in the standings. He netted his first 30-goal campaign in 2021-22 with 68 points (32 goals, 36 assists) while logging a career-high 80 games, but Vancouver once again missed the postseason.
Things clicked for Pettersson in the next two seasons as he erupted for 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) and 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists). While Vancouver missed the postseason again during Pettersson’s breakout 2022-23 season, the Canucks reached the second round of the playoffs, snagging a 3-2 series lead over Edmonton with goalie Thatcher Demko hurt before falling in seven games. Also, for someone who had missed time due to injury throughout the early stages of his career, the 2023-24 campaign marked the third-straight season he played at least 80 games.
Since that three-season stretch, Pettersson and the Canucks have fallen off the map and the talented Swede was the subject of apparent discord with former line mate J.T. Miller. Pettersson’s production dipped significantly the past two years as he posted just 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 64 games last season and has just 35 (13 goals, 22 assists) in 51 games so far this year.
The 50-point range production, while still tolerable for a second liner, wouldn’t be so alarming if it weren’t for the fact that he is in the second year of an eight-year contract that carries a gaudy $11.6 million cap hit. That would make him the highest paid member of the Red Wings, making over $3 million per year more than core pieces like Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.
There's a case to be made both for and against trading for Pettersson: