Beggars can't be choosers, and the failed attempt by the Philadelphia Flyers to sign Leo Carlsson to an exorbitant offer sheet proves that the chase for a No. 1 center is going to be long and arduous.

At some point, the Flyers may have to take real risks and make uncomfortable decisions to ultimately get what they want.

Such risks are inevitably going to be financial or monetary, via the use of draft picks and/or prospects.

One risk they can take, dipping into both hemispheres at once, is on Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson, who continues to be a topic of trade discussions with the franchise headed towards a long rebuild.

The Athletic's Canucks beat reporter, Thomas Drance, recently touched on Pettersson in a new mailbag.

"On Pettersson, I think you’re probably looking at something similar to the Darnell Nurse trade return as a best-case scenario. In that trade, Edmonton was able to clear the balance of Nurse’s contract, and there’s massive value in that. The Oilers also received a young defender at the tail end of his entry-level contract, who isn’t tracking to be much more than a depth contributor going forward, but still has some level of possible upside," Drance said.

"That would represent a solid return for the Canucks for Pettersson, even if they would likely be better off taking back an inefficient contract to get a more valuable future in the exchange."

And, of course, there's always the question: is Pettersson actually a trade chip for the Canucks, or does Vancouver want to hang onto the former 100-point ace in hopes of a bounce back?

"I believe the Canucks’ preference is to trade Pettersson if the opportunity presents itself," Drance added.

And there you have it.

The complications with a potential Pettersson trade are obvious. The 27-year-old Swede carries a staggering $11.6 million cap hit--not nearly as staggering as the $18 million the Flyers were prepared to hand out to a far less accomplished Leo Carlsson--and a full no-move clause.

At the end of the day, whatever happens is Pettersson's call.

According to Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal, center-needy teams have made calls on the bedeviled pivot, though nothing has come close to getting done.

As we know, the Flyers are a center-needy team, and while they were probably too preoccupied with the Carlsson saga to worry about Pettersson, Vancouver is somewhere they can turn next.

Pettersson did have a 102-point season with the Canucks under current Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet on aggregate in 2022-23, then followed that up with an 89-point effort in 2023-24.

The sky pretty much collapsed on the Canucks in 2024-25, and by the end of last season, Pettersson was the last man standing, and Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, and Tocchet were all gone.

Still, Pettersson finished the 2025-26 season with 51 points for the bottom-feeding Canucks, which would have tied him with Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak, and Matvei Michkov had he played for the Flyers.

As an aside, the Tocchet connection is an obvious starting point, and while questions are always raised about the relationship between the two men, it's a business, and the Flyers need to build a talented hockey team. If there's still an issue, check it at the door.

That all said, Pettersson has just 96 points in his last two seasons combined, health and injuries have been factors, and there is a lot of risk in taking on an $11.6 million cap hit until 2032, when Pettersson is 33 years old.

At the same time, New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier just got an $11.7 million annual cap hit on his new five-year extension, so that's also the going rate. And Hischier has just one NHL season with more than 70 points.

If the Flyers believe Pettersson can return to being a consistent 80-point player, it's an endeavor they can very easily talk themselves into.

Drance, as someone who has watched Pettersson more than most can say, believes that "Pettersson is at his best when playing with solidly creative players who can win pucks along the wall and are at their best operating beneath the hashmarks. Both Miller and Andrei Kuzmenko share that one attribute in their games, and it’s what complemented Pettersson’s offensive game best throughout his career."

Porter Martone, anyone? Maybe Tyson Foerster? That seems like a match made in heaven, even with our own limited viewing of Andrei Kuzmenko in a Flyers uniform in 2025. His game is predicated on finding good ice and piling up points from opportune positions.

If Drance is accurate in his Darnell Nurse trade comparison, the Flyers really have no good reason to avoid being in on Pettersson.

Strictly in terms of value, something the Flyers could offer the Canucks akin to the Sharks sending Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp to Edmonton for Nurse would be an Alex Bump or a David Jiricek, plus a C-tier prospect.

Now on his third NHL organization in four years, Jiricek's trade value is basically nil--he either makes it with the Flyers or doesn't at all--but you get the picture.

Ultimately, Pettersson is nearly $7 million cheaper than fellow countryman Carlsson and boasts a solid track record of offensive production and NHL success.

From there, the Flyers would have plenty of money still left over to make sure they can re-sign Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, as well as Nikita Grebenkin.

Some of you will roll your eyes in exasperation at this suggestion for what feels like the umpteenth time in the last two to three seasons, but the reality is that this process just isn't going to be perfect for the Flyers.

They tried to spend $90 million and four first-round picks to pry Carlsson out of Anaheim, and it still didn't work. Unless you draft your own No. 1 center like the Ducks did, you need to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and it's time the Flyers learn that lesson.