The NY Islanders should explore a trade for Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks

While the NY Islanders are in no way short on centers, they are short on goal scoring. With no further additions since the first day of free agency, Mathieu Darche will likely turn to the trade market if he hopes to improve his roster.

With rumors swirling around Elias Pettersson for the past few seasons, it appears his time with the Vancouver Canucks may be coming to an end. 

The past two seasons for Pettersson were arguably the worst of his career. Totaling 45 points (15 G, 30 A) in 64 games in 2024-25 and 51 points (15 G, 36 A) last season have been a far cry from his 102 points (39 G, 63 A) and 89 points (34 G, 55 A) in the two seasons prior. And coming with an AAV of $11.6M for the next six seasons, those numbers just won’t cut it.

But Vancouver may be willing to sell low on Pettersson, and at just 27 years old, if he could return to his old ways with a fresh start, that contract would be worth the production.

"On Pettersson, I think you’re probably looking at something similar to the Darnell Nurse trade return as a best-case scenario,” Thomas Drance of The Athletic said. “In that trade, Edmonton was able to clear the balance of Nurse’s contract, and there’s massive value in that.”

The Islanders have a handful of prospects who could get a deal done similar to the Nurse trade; it’s just whether Darche is willing to take the chance of Pettersson not returning to form and sitting on that contract.

It’s a risk, but a player like Pettersson, putting up 90+ points consistently, could be worth the gamble.

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