There has been so much conversation about the difficulty the Vancouver Canucks have had in trading Elias Pettersson. It’s not just his $11.6 million cap hit that makes other teams think twice.
It’s Pettersson’s perceived value that has led to serious questions about his viability as a trade target.
A recent piece in The Athletic looked at the efficiency of every NHL team’s contract situation. Unsurprisingly, the Canucks ranked 31st in the league. When going through the organization’s cap allocation, it’s easy to see why.
But it’s Pettersson’s contract that sticks out like a sore thumb. The data shows the 28-year-old’s contract has just a 14.1% positive value rating. Meanwhile, the deal has a surplus value of -$19.7 million.
That negative surplus value is akin to the organization just burning cash for no good reason.
Given the horrendous values attached to Pettersson’s contract, it’s easy to see why teams don’t want to go near his deal.
While there is certainly interest in Pettersson as a player, his contract cannot justify in any way the value teams would expect to get from him on the ice.
Canucks with No Choice but to Eat Pettersson’s Contract
The only plausible way the Vancouver Canucks have to get out from under Pettersson’s contract is to eat a significant chunk of it. If the club is serious about making a trade, it will have to retain a fair amount of it.
While holding on to 50% of it may not be realistic, Vancouver will have to eat up as much of it as it can to a point where it becomes palatable for trade partners. Even then, the return the Canucks could expect in a trade won’t be anything close to what they want.
It’s a tough reality, but that’s the way business works in the NHL, and pro sports for that matter. Teams will only pay for the value they perceive in the players to be acquired.
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Vancouver Might Just Have to Keep Pettersson
At the end of the day, there doesn’t seem to be a desire on Pettersson’s part to leave Vancouver. As such, the Canucks might just hold on to Pettersson for the remainder of his contract.
Yes, things can change in a hurry. Perhaps there might be something that changes the Swedish forward’s mind. Something could happen at one point or another that might compel Pettersson to agree to a trade.
But unless that actually occurs, Vancouver might be better off hoping that Pettersson can rediscover the talent that made him a 100-point scorer. Such a scenario may seem like a long shot at this point, but it’s still too early to call Pettersson a total bust.
The rumor mill should continue churning for now. The chatter won’t go away until something actually happens. Whether it’s a trade or a public reaffirmation of the player and organization’s commitment to one another, the talk will only intensify.
If Pettersson continues to struggle this upcoming season, trade talk could grow to epic proportions.
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