What Could Elias Pettersson's Olympic Showing Mean For His Canucks Future?

Vancouver Canucks cornerstone Elias Pettersson had a golden opportunity to notch his first career Olympic goal for Sweden on Wednesday.

While killing a penalty, Sweden caught Team Italy pinching, and Pettersson broke out on a clear breakaway. He deked and shot stick side but barely missed scoring a highlight-reel goal.

Italy goaltender Damian Clara had to make one of the stretch saves of his life to prevent Pettersson from scoring, as he left the game with an injury shortly afterward. But it was the kind of chance that made you notice Pettersson, and in a good way.

Considering Pettersson's results over the past two seasons and the Canucks' new rebuild, it would mean a lot for the center to have a strong Olympics, potentially more so than it would most other players.

Whether he would ratchet up his value to the Canucks if they choose to trade him or elevate his game to the point that Vancouver sees him as a long-term core player again, the Olympics come at an important time in Pettersson's career.

Certainly, a strong Olympic showing would improve Pettersson's status with Adam Foote. The Canucks coach recently commented that Pettersson can use the Olympics to make a statement about where he is as a difference-maker. 

"(The Olympics will) be a good marker for (Pettersson) and good experience to get to play at that pace," Foote told Sportsnet. "I think there's another pace he can play at, and, you know, he's aware of it… I think he knows he's got something more to offer…Maybe playing at the pace of the Olympics will give him that jump-start."

A strong Olympic performance can certainly bring more attention to a player.

Juraj Slafkovsky was phenomenal for Slovakia in 2022, and a few months later, the Montreal Canadiens drafted him first overall over longtime projected top pick Shane Wright. While there was no NHL participation that year, Eric Staal was a free agent and recorded four points in five games for Team Canada, and he got to extend his NHL career by one more season afterward. And Finland goaltender Mikko Koskinen signed with the Edmonton Oilers just over two months after playing in the 2018 Olympics.

But moving a player by the trade deadline right after the Olympics is not as common. Then again, Pettersson's situation is not all that common, either.

After his 102-point season in 2022-23 and 89-point campaign in 2023-24, his scoring dropped to 45 points in 64 games in 2024-25 and 34 points in 49 games this season. He was reportedly in a rift with J.T. Miller that led the Canucks to trade the latter to the New York Rangers last season. And in the second year of an eight-year contract carrying an $11.6-million cap hit with a no-movement clause, Vancouver certainly would like to see some signs of a player rediscovering their potential.

There's no reason the Canucks would absolutely have to trade Pettersson in the wake of having a step-up showing at the Olympics. There could be a world where Pettersson thrives for Sweden, and Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin decides the Canucks want him to carry that momentum into their squad.

But that's got to be the key for Pettersson. If he's invisible at the Olympics, the questions about Pettersson's value will only get louder. And it will be more difficult to trade him for many assets.

All things considered, there's a lot at stake for Pettersson right now. If he elevates to a level that makes hockey watchers sit up and take notice, he gives his Canucks team the choice of either hanging on to him or trading him at a higher sell-rate than he was at prior to the Games.

And if he doesn't – well, it's going to be safe to say that Petterson and the Canucks will be bound together, for better or worse, for the foreseeable future.

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