Canucks General Manager Raises Many Eyebrows After Elias Pettersson Comments
Many hockey pundits had their eyebrows raised earlier yesterday when Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin made some stunning comments about the future of Elias Pettersson.
The Canucks have been mired in a dispute between Canucks star JT Miller and Pettersson that has stretched back when Bruce Boudreau was coaching. This spat has continued to grow in the media and became major news over the past couple of weeks.
This along with the Canucks poor play especially at home has put a magnifying glass on Pettersson as a leader for the team. Allvin was asked if he would be willing to trade Petterson as he does have an out from his contract with his no movement clause kicking until next year.
Allvin smiled and stated but everyone knows Jim Rutherford's history with trades and that the team has several large pieces better locked up long term and that Pettersson will need to mature more and realize that things will not get easier.
The 26-year-old centre has struggled as of late as he has only scored two goals in his past five games. He was drafted by the Canucks back in 2017 fifth overall and has seen a sharp decline in his numbers as he has played 34 games, scoring ten goals 18 assists for 28 points and is a - 3 after being a + 20 the previous year.
This is a noticeable regression in his play and some have questioned it due to the fact he has signed a new eight-year deal which currently holds a cap hit of $11.6 million per season but does not hold any trade protection until the following season.
It's safe to say the Oilers archrival is not having a good year and with the Oilers passing the Canucks and more trouble ahead it remains to be seen on what this team will do to solve their internal issues.
As far as the Oilers are concerned, they will continue to win their games and not worry about what their rivals problems are.
