It may be hockey's worst-kept secret at this point that the Vancouver Canucks are going through some things on and off the ice. The Canucks are listening to trade offers on Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. And a reported rift between Pettersson and Miller was recently confirmed to be quite severe by Vancouver exec Jim Rutherford. Teams are circling around these two players as the deadline approaches, and this includes the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets have reportedly held talks with Vancouver for Pettersson, according to insider Pierre LeBrun. LeBrun mentioned on TSN's Insider Trading that it's too early to call Columbus a “suitor” for the center iceman. However, he did mention that they are a team to watch.
“A team to talk about is the Columbus Blue Jackets. It's not surprising because they've got massive salary cap space. As the Canucks make their rounds and talk to different teams on both J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, the conversation with the Blue Jackets is on Pettersson. We'll see if these preliminary discussions — some of them very recent — can go next level,” LeBrun said on Insider Trading.
How Elias Pettersson would fit Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets are a young, impressive team. However, they lack a true top-line center to anchor their first line. Sean Monahan has filled in as the first-line center and has played well in the role. In saying this, Monahan is currently on injured reserve at this time.
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Elias Pettersson is a first-line center. When truly on his game, he is an elite center and one of the better playmakers in the game. He could pair well with wingers Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. In fact, a winger such as Marchenko could help Pettersson rediscover his game.
Marchenko is in the midst of a career season. He leads all Columbus skaters with 20 goals and is second in points with 53. This puts him on track to score 33 goals and 87 points in the 2024-25 campaign. If he plays to this pace, he'll be the first Blue Jackets forward since Artemi Panarin in 2018-19 to score more than 80 points in a season.
Pairing Marchenko with Pettersson could give the Blue Jackets a major boost in the Wild Card race. Columbus is currently tied on points with the second Wild Card holder Tampa Bay Lightning. However, they have multiple teams breathing down their necks in the Eastern Conference.
The Pettersson sweepstakes are sure to drag on over the next few weeks. Whether a trade comes to pass certainly remains to be seen. In any event, the Blue Jackets are doing their homework in case something can be agreed to.
