{"id":499793,"date":"2026-02-26T01:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T01:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/499793\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T01:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T01:57:08","slug":"could-there-be-anything-to-the-elias-pettersson-to-la-trade-chatter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/499793\/","title":{"rendered":"Could there be anything to the Elias Pettersson to LA trade chatter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We find ourselves just over a week away from the 2026 Trade Deadline, and while the actual trade market hasn\u2019t awoken quite yet, the rumour market is already up and at \u2018em. With the Vancouver Canucks<\/a> already declared sellers \u2013 and with Canadian team-related rumours a surefire way to pick up views \u2013 they\u2019ve naturally been at the centre of much of the speculation<\/a>. But as is always the case, not all rumours are created equal.If you\u2019ve followed the speculation at all, you\u2019ve no doubt noticed a bit of an uptick in the chatter surrounding the senior Elias Pettersson. While he\u2019s not getting as much attention as UFAs like Evander Kane<\/a>, his name has been mentioned by multiple sources over the past two weeks, though there\u2019s little indication that a move is imminent.One particularly detailed piece of supposed information was that the Los Angeles Kings, specifically, had really increased their interest in acquiring Pettersson. Now, we can probably safely discount the first time this was brought up by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, it was phrased as though Pettersson\u2019s two-goal performance against Slovakia<\/a> at the Olympics was the reason LA\u2019s interested had picked up.<\/p>\n

With all due respect to all involved, two goals in an Olympic round robin against a roster only partially filled with NHLers is not going to be the reason anyone changes their opinion on Pettersson.<\/p>\n

But Pagnotta has since doubled down via the Hello Hockey podcast, stating outright that the Kings\u2019 interest in Pettersson is legitimate. In fact, Pagnotta went as far as to say that while the Kings were interested, he wasn\u2019t sure if they could meet the Canucks\u2019 asking price. Other pundits have chimed in with similar statements, including Darren Dreger<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, whether the rumours are ginned up off a one-game headline from Milan, or whether there\u2019s actually some sand to them, we\u2019re here today to talk about whether or not Pettersson-to-LA makes any sort of sense.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll start with the Canucks\u2019 perspective. Why would they be interested in such a deal? That one is fairly easy. They\u2019re engaged in a rebuild, and if the return for Pettersson is actually a good one \u2013 as in, the kind of package LA might not even be able to cobble together \u2013 then those pieces acquired could be vital to the rebuild\u2019s success. The Canucks are running short on tradeable assets that could bring back sizeable returns. If Pettersson can, they have to consider it.<\/p>\n

Especially considering that Pettersson has yet to bounce back all the way to his former glory<\/a> in Vancouver, and at times looks as though he never will. There\u2019s been a lot of talk of a fresh start benefiting Pettersson. There\u2019s also been a lot of talk about Pettersson\u2019s failure to live up to his $11.6 million AAV extension thus far. With six years left on that contract, there might be a desire to cut bait now, especially if cutting bait includes the Canucks picking up some high-quality prospects or picks in the exchange. It is, at the very least, worth thinking about.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the contract, the \u201cwhy to LA, specifically?\u201d question is probably best answered by Pettersson himself. He does have a full no-movement clause, after all. The Canucks might reasonably prefer not to trade Pettersson within the division, but if Pettersson is willing to go to LA and LA is willing to pay up for him, maybe they don\u2019t have any better options.<\/p>\n

Pettersson has seemed to enjoy the West Coast lifestyle. His wife is an online influencer, and what better place to continue that career than in Hollywood? We\u2019re purely speculating here, but of all the destinations out there that Pettersson might say \u2018yes\u2019 to, Los Angeles seems high on the list.<\/p>\n

Which brings us to the Kings themselves, and why their interest in him might be legitimate.<\/p>\n

The Kings are, admittedly, in a bit of a weird spot. They\u2019re a fringe contender in 2025-26, currently a few points back of the last Wild Card spot in the West<\/a>, but at other times in the top-three of the Pacific Division. Waiting until next year, however, isn\u2019t exactly an option for the Kings. This has been announced as captain Anze Kopitar\u2019s last NHL season, and they\u2019d really like to end it with one last playoff run for him. In other words, they\u2019re going to try their best to improve their roster within this regular season, and now they\u2019ve only got a week and change to do it.<\/p>\n

The Kings\u2019 task became more complicated at those aforementioned Olympic Games, where Kevin Fiala suffered a season-ending injury against Team Canada. Fiala\u2019s injury hurts LA\u2019s chances, but it also opens up a lot of cap space, including what is now known as \u201cplayoff cap space.\u201d The Kings could add the entirety of Pettersson\u2019s $11.6 million cap hit to both their regular season and their postseason rosters without breaking a sweat, and there aren\u2019t many other teams heading to the playoffs who can say the same thing.<\/p>\n

But why Pettersson, specifically?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that the Kings are in the market for a centre. They\u2019ve still got Kopitar for now, but only for a matter of months. They\u2019ve got former second overall pick Quinton Byfield, who has yet to really break out at the NHL level, and who is currently playing on the wing. They\u2019ve got Alex Laferriere, who is usually a winger but has been filling in at centre. They\u2019ve got Alex Turcotte, who never really panned out on his promise. And that\u2019s about all they\u2019ve got worth mentioning.<\/p>\n

That is a group that could use help right now, in the here and now. But that\u2019s also a group that will definitely need even more help the minute Kopitar retires.<\/p>\n

Bringing in Pettersson adds a lot of centre depth right now, and for the foreseeable future. One has to like the idea of the two-way one-two punch of Pettersson and Kopitar matching up against opposing top-sixes for one last run.<\/p>\n

But at the same time, acquiring Pettersson is probably just as much about the younger centres. The Kings were once said to have the greatest prospect collection in the entire NHL. But the bulk of those prospects have wound up being disappointments, and the Kings just aren\u2019t where they hoped to be at this point. Even some of those who have made it have underserved on their expectations, and Byfield is probably near the top of that list.<\/p>\n

But Byfield is still just 23 years old. Bringing in Pettersson buys Byfield a little more time and space to figure it out, and takes the pressure off of him immediately having to fill Kopitar\u2019s shoes. That Pettersson shares some stylistic similarities to Kopitar, particularly on the defensive end of the puck, makes a big difference here. Byfield has enough of a task ahead of him, figuring out how to replace Kopitar\u2019s offensive contributions. If someone else can cover the defence component, that ups Byfield\u2019s chances of success.<\/p>\n

And finding a way to support Byfield\u2019s success is really the only way the Kings can get anything out of their current younger core that includes folks like Byfield, Laferriere, and Brandt Clarke. Those are all players in their early 20s. The LA retool hasn\u2019t exactly been a home run, but they have been left with some talent on their roster that they\u2019d like to make the most of. One might argue that the 27-year-old Pettersson fits in better with that group than he does with the slightly-younger Canucks contingent. That\u2019s not to mention his aligning even better with some of the remaining and established vets, like the 29-year-old Adrian Kempe.<\/p>\n

The Kings do not have any notable centre prospects on the horizon. The help will have to come from outside the organization.<\/p>\n

Put it all together, and one understands why the Kings might have interest. Part of that interest would obviously have to include the \u2018fresh start\u2019 aspect and the potential for Pettersson to return a higher quality of play in a new environment. But we\u2019d hazard a guess that, with very few centres of any real calibre available on the trade market, the Kings might even be willing to overpay a little in terms of salary to get their pivot. They might be relatively fine acquiring Pettersson at his current price and level of play, if that\u2019s the best centre they can get their hands on right now and for the next handful of years.<\/p>\n

But would they also be willing to overpay \u2013 or at least pay \u2013 in terms of the cost of acquisition? Even Pagnotta, the source of the original rumour, doubted their ability to meet the price. And the Canucks themselves have little reason to undersell on Pettersson, unless they\u2019re truly determined to get out from under the contract right away.<\/p>\n

The Kings do have plenty of picks to offer. They\u2019ve got their own first rounders for the next three drafts, and their own second rounders, plus an extra this year acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets. But then, it\u2019s hard to imagine a Pettersson return being purely pick-based. The Kings have the cap to accommodate it, but unless we\u2019re talking multiple firsts, it probably won\u2019t meet the Canucks\u2019 asking price.<\/p>\n

That leaves us with some combination of picks and young NHLers. But there, the Kings are a little short, too. Clarke is untouchable. We could almost get behind a Byfield-for-Pettersson swap, with the Kings betting that Byfield will never pan out and that Pettersson will bounce back. But betting on and building around an older centre just doesn\u2019t make sense for where the Kings are at. Platooning Pettersson with Byfield would have to be part of the plan.<\/p>\n

The best player the Canucks could probably hope for would be Laferriere. He\u2019s a versatile forward who can fill in anywhere, but probably tops out as a high-quality, high-motor middle-six winger in the long run. He\u2019s not exactly a main course, either, but combine him with a few picks and maybe we\u2019re approaching the ballpark.<\/p>\n

So, to summarize, it does make sense for the Kings to have some interest in Pettersson \u2013 at least, more interest than most teams \u2013 and it does make some sense for the Canucks (and Pettersson himself) to be interested in an exchange. The cap lines up, but the assets available to the Kings make for a narrow window of negotiation. There\u2019s really only a handful of possible deals on the table, and if both teams like the shape of it, maybe something happens.<\/p>\n

Or maybe not. That\u2019s the way things go this time of year.<\/p>\n

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL\"\"<\/a>The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 8 AM-12:30 PM PT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel<\/a>\u00a0and don\u2019t miss a second of deadline day chaos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We find ourselves just over a week away from the 2026 Trade Deadline, and while the actual trade…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499794,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-499793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=499793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=499793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=499793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=499793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}