The Best And Worst Contract On Every Canadian NHL Team
Vancouver Canucks
Best Contract: Marco Rossi ($5 Million AAV through 2028)
Having a 60-point breakout season in 2024–2025 with career-highs in goals (24) and assists (36), Rossi remains very affordable for the Canucks. He's at a number that is easy to work with if they were to ever pursue a trade, and once his contract expires, Rossi will remain a restricted free agent.
The 24 year old has the opportunity to prove himself and earn a bigger payday on a rebuilding Canucks team that is looking for stability. They have more than enough cap space to reward him financially if his offensive progression continues, but he remains one of the team's top cost-effective assets.
Worst Contract: Elias Pettersson ($11.6 Million AAV through 2032)
Pettersson is unfortunately one of the biggest examples of how paying a player big after a breakout season without proven consistency can go wrong. The Canucks signed him to an eight-year, $92-million mega deal right after a 102-point campaign in 2022-23.
Across the last two seasons, he's produced well below what is expected of him, having a 45-point season with just 64 games played in 2024-25 and 51 points in 74 games in 2025-26. The value of his contract and what he has brought offensively does not match, with teams paying players this type of money for consistent 90 to 100-point seasons.
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