The 2025-26 NHL season for the Vancouver Canucks was nothing short of a complete train wreck. Not only were they the worst overall club in the Western Conference and came nowhere close to a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they also had to make several painful trades, not the least of which was moving captain and former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in December.
They also eventually traded Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks, Conor Garland to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Tyler Myers to the Vancouver Canucks. Oh, and it didn’t help that goaltender Thatcher Demko, once seen as one of the top young goaltenders in the NHL and a serious threat to make Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics, was shut down for the season in late January.
Speaking of Canucks trades, one player that was heavily involved in trade rumors was forward Elias Pettersson, though he ultimately stayed put through the March deadline.
Vancouver Canucks Icon Henrik Sedin Directly Called Out Elias Pettersson
The Canucks made another major shift in leadership in the early goings of their offseason, dismissing general manager Patrik Allvin. They also hired former franchise icons Henrik and Daniel Sedin as co-presidents of hockey operations, while also hiring former forward Ryan Johnson as Allvin’s official successor as GM.
Henrik Sedin made an appearance on the 32 Thoughts podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, and discussed the future of Pettersson with the club.
Friedman asked, “Henrik, there’s been a lot of noise around him the last few years. How do you see him as part of the future of the team, or do you see him as part of the future of the team?”
“Yeah, it’s a Canadian market,” Sedin answered. “There’s going to be a lot of talk about your best players and the guy who gets paid the most, that’s just the way it is. And especially where he’s been in his career, putting up over 100 points. I think for him, we’re going to be there to support him. I mean, in the end, he needs to decide, we can’t push him to do anything. He needs to decide what player he wants to be, because when he is prepared and comes into the season well prepared, I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people. But it’s going to be up to him to decide what he wants to do.”
“We’ll be there to support him. He’s gonna have to make a decision.”
Elias Pettersson Has Seen His Point Totals Dwindle In Recent Seasons
Pettersson, who was Vancouver’s first round (fifth overall) pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, has played his entire career in a Canucks jersey.
He’s only three years removed from registering 39 goals with 63 assists for 102 points in the 2022-23 season, which was followed by scoring 34 goals with 55 assists for 89 points in 2023-24.
However, his production dipped to just 15 goals with 30 assists in 64 games in 2024-25, followed by 15 goals and 36 assists in 74 games this season.
He’s under contract with the Canucks through 2032 with a salary cap hit of $11.6 million.
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