Insider reveals the person who may be holding up Elias Pettersson's contract extension in Vancouver
The Vancouver Canucks have had a really good start to the 2023-24 season and part of the reason for their success is forward Elias Pettersson. In Vancouver's two games so far, Pettersson has tallied six points, which leads the Canucks.
Pettersson is hoping for another strong season after putting up 102 points during the 2022-23 campaign and wants to play a big role in helping the Canucks reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The 24-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season, with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reporting that both Elias Pettersson and the Canucks are not ready to commit to a long-term deal.
According to Matthew Sekeres of the podcast 'Sekeres & Price, that report about the organization not being ready to commit to the Swedish forward may have come from Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini.
Given Elias Pettersson's importance to the organization, it's bizarre that both sides haven't been able to come to an agreement on a contract extension, which he's been eligible to sign since Canada Day on July 1st.
The Canucks haven't had a whole lot of success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the last 12 seasons. Since the 2011-12 season, a year after making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, Vancouver has only made it past the first round once and have missed the playoffs eight times. Having an elite forward like Elias Pettersson on your roster, along with players like Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko, J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser will allow them to have that playoff success they've been missing out on, so getting Pettersson signed, whether that be long-term or a shorter term like two-to-four years needs to be a priority for the organization as soon as possible.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Elias Pettersson will be with the Canucks next season or with a new team? | ||
| With the Canucks | 53 | 65.4 % |
| With a new organization | 25 | 30.9 % |
| Unsure | 3 | 3.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
