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Could Elias Pettersson Actually Reunite With Former Teammate?
Could Elias Pettersson Actually Reunite With Former Teammate?
Elias Pettersson, for some ridiculous reason, is on the trade block. As the feud between him and Canucks captain JT Miller continues to worsen, the front office is now taking calls on both players. You don’t need to be a hockey expert to know that players like EP40 simply don’t grow on trees. He is two years removed from an impressive 109 point campaign. At 26, the Canucks locked him into a massive contract that makes him one of the highest paid players in hockey.
In reality, he should end his career in Vancouver and join the Sedin twins as the latest Swedish star. However, there is a world where his time there ends much sooner than expected. If things couldn’t get anymore confusing, the team just placed him on the IR earlier today:
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that F Elias Pettersson has been placed on retroactive IR (retroactive to Dec. 23, 2024) and G Artūrs Šilovs has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL) on emergency basis.
Here’s where things get interesting. Among the teams linked, The Hockey News listed the New York Islanders as one of the teams with potential interest in the star forward. Mind you, Long Island is where former Canucks captain Bo Horvat is enjoying his handsome extension the Isles signed back in 2023. The great Stefen Rosner recently spoke with Horvat about the feud and he provided some interesting remarks about the Swede:
“Oh god, yeah,” Horvat laughed [when asked about a reunion]. “He’s a special player. He’s a really good person. He’s a special player that I respect a lot. I’ve had a lot of good success with him, too, in the past. But yeah, if I get a chance to play with him again, I would love to. We could use him.” – Bo Horvat via Stefen Rosner
He didn’t exactly pour cold water on the recent rumors swirling around. What’s even more intriguing is that Rosner followed up on the story with a new report that Vancouver highly values Isles pending RFA Noah Dobson. The soon-to-be-25-year-old is having a down year like many of his teammates. However, he has shown as recently as last season the kind of upside he has as an offensive defenseman. He is a year removed from being the first Islanders defenseman to score 70 points in a season since hall-of-famer Denis Potvin.
Look, my feelings on Dobson change like the weather. You can find me both praising and maligning him months apart. As of now, I do believe that Lou Lamoriello should not give him a long-term contract that guys like Adam Fox or Dougie Hamilton have recently gotten. Especially if there’s a chance to make him a centerpiece of a trade for a player like Pettersson. Even if this season will seemingly end in a wash, adding a player of his caliber completely changes the team’s trajectory. He easily has enough talent to be a top-15 player in the league and would create some buzz for a team that badly needs it.
The Bottom Line
As of now, it’s a wait and see game. Of course, you can expect almost every team in the league to call Patrik Allvin if he’s actually dangling Pettersson. However, the Islanders should make every effort they can to try and acquire him. Rosner listed his mock trade as of now as EP40 for Dobson, Pierre Engvall, Casey Cizikas, and the team’s 2025 first-round pick. While it’s risky, they have even more assets to use like prospect Danny Nelson or developing NHLer Simon Holmstrom.
Let’s just say the Canucks wisen up and decide to only trade Miller and fix the remaining pieces. Then everything I wrote is completely for nothing. Until then, it’s fun to ask yourself what if.
