At only 25-years-old, Elias Pettersson is already one of the league's biggest superstars. Despite calling Vancouver his home for the past seven years, contract negotiations between him and the Canucks continue to hit a dead end.
The highly talented Canucks centerman has been an essential part of Vancouver's core since he was selected fifth overall in the 2017 NHL draft.
He signed a 3-year deal with Vancouver prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, for a total cap hit of $22,050,000 (7.35M AAV). His contract is set to expire following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, and he will become an RFA (Restricted Free-Agent) in the summer.
Recently, Ian MacIntyre of Sportsnet sat down with Canucks GM Patrik Allvin for a Q&A, where they discussed Pettersson's contract situation.
Sportsnet: Is there any change in Elias Pettersson's situation?
Allvin: I have conversations (with his agent) but nothing obviously has changed. We want to keep Petey here. He Knows that. At some point it's going to come down to negotiations and if it's working or not. We have another year with him as an RFA; we're not going to lose him this summer. But that being said, I'm trying to plan for our team this year and next year and I want him to be a big part of it.
Sportsnet: Based on your experience, is this situation unusual - a core player eligible for restricted free agency wanting to hold off on negotiations?
Allvin: Maybe a little bit, yeah.
There certainly is some concern about this current situation all the way up to the management team.
Satiar Shah and Irfaan Gaffar also discussed Pettersson on Sportsnet 650 this evening. Irfaan started it off by saying "there's something not quite right here".
Numerous parties have stated that Pettersson is happy in Vancouver and wishes to stay. However, this situation is quite unusual for an RFA to hold out on contract discussions for as long as Elias already has.
There's a possibility that the Canucks ongoing success could play a major role in Pettersson sticking around with the organization.
Expect Pettersson to receive a very big pay day when his new contract does come. This could come north of $11 Million per season, making him one of the league's highest earning players. He certainly has earned such a hefty salary increase.
