Is another major Vancouver Canucks trade brewing?
The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics have put the NHL on pause for a few weeks, but that doesn’t mean the rumour mill has stopped ahead of next month’s trade deadline. The Canucks sit comfortably in last place and will almost certainly be selling off assets at the deadline.
They’ve already shipped out Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood, and now the rumours around Elias Pettersson are intensifying. The 27-year-old is currently representing his native Sweden at the Olympics and has looked quite good with two goals through three games.
According to The Province’s Ben Kuzma, the LA Kings have been keeping a close eye on Petey in Italy and have liked what they’ve seen from the Canucks forward.
“Their interest in Elias Pettersson increased with the Swede’s two-goal game Saturday for Sweden in the Olympics, plus the Kings have $15 million in cap space,” Kuzma wrote.
Kuzma also noted that Pettersson and Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko have a productive history playing together. Pettersson’s wife, American model Katelyn Bird, also lived in L.A. for a number of years, which could entice Petey in waiving his no-trade clause.
The Kings are currently sitting just outside of the playoff picture and are going to be desperate to improve after Kevin Fiala suffered a season-ending injury playing for Switzerland at the Olympics.
This wouldn’t be the first time that Pettersson’s name has cropped up in trade rumours. The Carolina Hurricanes reportedly tried to coax him out of Vancouver back in 2024 before he signed his eight-year, $92.8-million extension with the Canucks. The Hurricanes also tried to swing a massive Pettersson/J.T. Miller deal with Vancouver last season.
Things have only gotten noisier with Vancouver management admitting to a rebuild, with as many as seven teams having some sort of reported trade interest in Pettersson.
Canucks fans shouldn’t expect a trade to drop anytime soon, as the NHL trade freeze will remain in effect until 8:59 p.m. PST on Sunday.