Elias Pettersson’s fate with Canucks appears to be confirmed

With the Vancouver Canucks missing out on the postseason, fans are bracing themselves for significant changes this summer. However, according to insider Pierre LeBrun, they should be ready to welcome forward Elias Pettersson back into the lineup.

That’s because LeBrun reports that the Canucks are leaning into the decision of keeping Pettersson.

“Never say never, but all signs point to the Canucks keeping Elias Pettersson, whose full no-move clause kicks in July 1. The Canucks are encouraged by Pettersson’s approach this offseason. While his production over the past two years hasn’t matched his $11.6 million salary (and he’s got seven more years on his deal), there were teams monitoring that situation given how thin the UFA market is. But it sounds like Vancouver wants to keep him.”

Fans in Vancouver were quite frustrated with Pettersson’s play this past season, which had a clear impact on the Canucks locker room during the regular season with things eventually coming to a head when star forward J.T. Miller was sent packing due to personal conflicts between himself and Pettersson.

The feud and all of the hockey headlines clearly detoured the Canucks’ season and, as we know, they missed out on the playoffs.

But as LeBrun puts it, Pettersson changing his attitude and work ethic early in the offseason could pay off as he seems set to return to the Canucks for 2025-26.

Pettersson’s contract, which he signed in March 2024, runs through the 2031-32 NHL season. There is still a lot of term left on there, but if the Swedish forward kicks off the upcoming campaign on the right foot, it may pay off in the end.