The NHL trade market is shaking loose and it’s easy to wonder if the moves will come fast and furious with the Olympic break now just over two weeks away.
On Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights acquired defenceman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames. Then, on Monday, a surprise buyer in the form of the San Jose Sharks stepped up to snag winger Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks.
While Sherwood was always expected to be dealt by the Canucks, there’s a sense everything is on the table in Vancouver now, including moving on from top centre Elias Pettersson. Of course, speculation around Pettersson’s future is nothing new. It was just 11 months ago that the Canucks dealt J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers with the understanding that Miller and Pettersson — Vancouver’s top two centres for multiple seasons — could no longer co-exist on the same squad.
Nearly one year later, it may be Pettersson’s time to move, even with a contract that accounts for an $11.6 million cap hit through 2031-32.
“Vancouver couldn’t be more open for business,” The Athletic’s Chris Johnston said on his podcast on Monday. “(Pettersson) has played better than he did last year, but he’s still not at the level he was when he signed that contract (in March 2024). I just think there are still going to be teams out there that are at least intrigued by his skill set, by what he’s been and wondering if he can get back there.”
The Carolina Hurricanes have been linked to Pettersson in the past and Johnston noted there could even be a fit in terms of Carolina having a centre who’s primed for a change of scenery in 25-year-old Jesperi Kotkaniemi to send west.
“If (the Hurricanes) re-engage on Pettersson, maybe we’re talking about those two being part of the same deal,” he said. “Obviously it would take a little more from the Carolina end to make that happen.”
Exactly what Carolina would give up isn’t known at this point, but NHL insider Frank Seravalli of the Frankly Speaking podcast said that with conversations heating up, a Pettersson move might not be that far off.
“I think there’s a growing suspicion from teams that it does happen this year and there are some thinking maybe even potentially before the Olympics,” he told Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne on The Real Kyper and Bourne Show on Monday. “Now that feels kind of quick, but the Canucks are in a spot where they’re willing to consider anything and everything.”
While some will understandably balk at the heft of Pettersson’s remaining contract, Seravalli noted two recent signings — Christian Dvorak in Philadelphia and Alexander Wennberg in San Jose — only reinforce the notion you’ve got to shell out for quality centres. Both Dvorak and Wennberg skew 3C on a good team and the former just inked a five-year deal with an annual hit of $5.15 million, while the latter signed on to play at $6 million per season for three more years.
“All of a sudden you turn around and you look at Elias Pettersson and say, if we believe this is a guy we can rejuvenate, get his career going again with a change of scenery, $11.6 million a year doesn’t sound like a crazy risk profile,” Seravalli noted.
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Speaking of $11.6 million cap hits, the Rangers have made it clear they won’t be re-signing Artemi Panarin when his contract expires in July. Recouping assets for a 90-point player who’s set to walk out the door might be harder than it sounds, though, because Panarin holds all the cards thanks to a no-move clause. He may also be completely content to simply play out the stretch in New York, then find a new home as a UFA.
Speaking on the podcast Morning Cuppa Hockey on Monday, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan said the situation with Panarin reminded her a lot of what we saw in 2022 when Claude Giroux — who also had complete say over where he wanted to go — told the Philadelphia Flyers he’d only accept a trade to the Florida Panthers.
“Florida was quite generous in terms of the return (first- and third-round picks, plus winger Owen Tippett) because they didn’t really have to give Philly anything because that’s the place (Giroux) wanted to go,” Kaplan pointed out.
While a handful of teams figure to be interested — Dallas, Minnesota, Florida — Kaplan noted there might be a stealth squad from the Rangers’ own division kicking tires.
“Washington is a sneaky team for me,” she said.
Kaplan also noted that, whether it’s before the trade deadline or in the summer when Panarin is a UFA, she expects the Los Angeles Kings to be pushing hard on that — and other — fronts.
“You can see they’re sniffing around these big names,” Kaplan said. “They want to bring star power to L.A. and I expect them to be a huge player this summer.”
While it’s hard to know the full scope of what the Blueshirts are willing to explore — and understanding the plan could change with any big offer — Kaplan and show hosts Jonny Lazarus and Tyler Yaremchuk agreed that, as things stand, New York appears likely to retain Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad in the hopes the team can bounce back sooner rather than later.
Still, that leaves the door open to other moves and Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said he believes the Blueshirts will be fielding calls on centre Vincent Trochek and defenceman Carson Soucy. Speaking on the Edmonton-based Hello Hockey on Saturday, Pagnotta also suggested Rangers GM Chris Drury would at least listen on the player selected first overall in 2020.
“I believe there’s a willingness to explore a big hockey trade involving Alexis Lafreniere,” he said.
Whether you call this a retool or rebuild by the Rangers, it could get very interesting in a hurry.
