Elliotte Friedman Reveals A Major Turnaround In The Elias Pettersson Trade Situation

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Tyler Ball
February 29, 2024 (8:59 PM)

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A new report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has confirmed that Elias Pettersson was nearly traded earlier this season to an Eastern Conference contender.

Friedman Reveals A Major Turnaround In The Pettersson Trade

Elias Pettersson has been involved in trade rumors for much of this season. His lack of an extension provided inquiring teams with a reason for Pettersson to be available. According to an Elliotte Friedman report talks with the Carolina Hurricanes went to such a serious point that the deal was brought to Pettersson and his agents.

The #Canucks and #Canes had trade talks about Elias Pettersson that «advanced to a stage where both player and team needed to make serious decisions about where their relationship was headed,» per @FriedgeHNIC.

With these reports now on the table publicly NHL insider David Pagnotta added to the conversation. Pagnotta's sources say that players like Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were discussed as returning pieces to the Canucks.

I believe names like Martin Necas and Jesper Kotkaniemi were discussed from Carolina's end. This first occurred over week ago, prior to my initial contract offer report last week.

Of course, Pettersson is now closing in on an extension with the Vancouver Canucks after the two sides came together again. However, if the new contract were to fall through what could a potential trade look like?

Exploring A Mock Trade To Land Pettersson In Carolina

As of now, the Hurricanes have around five million in cap space. Pettersson has a cap hit of just over 7 million. This means almost any significant roster player could make up the difference. With that in mind let's look at a potential mock trade.

To Carolina: Elias Pettersson

To Vancouver: 2024 1st Round Pick, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, 2025 2nd Round Pick, Cruz Lucius

This trade sends Pettersson to Carolina where he likely becomes the instant number one center. He solidifies their offensive firepower and from Carolina's perspective, they do not lose out on much when it comes to their current roster.

For Vancouver, this would be a selling move only if they cannot re-sign Pettersson and risk losing him. They get back a first-round pick that will likely be late in the first round. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is a versatile forward for their middle size. The big prize would likely be the rights to center Cruz Lucius who has been tearing up the NCAA for the last two seasons. Finally, they add a second-round pick to their draft war chest.

This trade does likely favor the Carolina Hurricanes, especially in the short term. However, without Pettersson, the Canucks would likely need to re-tool anyway and this is a great jumpstart to that.

While this trade is very unlikely with Pettersson set to sign an extension in the coming days it is always fun to look at what could've been.