Surprising Option Emerges for the Toronto Maple Leafs on the Trade Market
One superstar player may surprisingly now be available on the trade market as it appears his time may be up.
Rumors have been swirling about the future of Vancouver Canucks star forward Elias Pettersson, who has found himself in the midst of reported tensions between himself and fellow Canucks star forward J.T. Miller.
There's also the potential of Miller being a player who could also be gone, with one rumored team being the New York Rangers.
David Pagnotta of 'The Fourth Period' reported that the Rangers are a team in on Miller, as well as the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and the New York Islanders as teams that are believed to be interested in the 31-year-old.
If the Canucks don't move J.T. Miller, or even if they do, the focus then turns to Elias Pettersson and if the team still wants to keep the other half of the team's feud in the locker room.
Could The Toronto Maple Leafs Be The Team That Acquires Elias Pettersson
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to add on offense, and Elias Pettersson is by far the most talented player who has been in credible trade links and could be on the exit.
The most logical scenario for the Leafs getting Pettersson realistically is if Auston Matthews is out for the season, leaving space to potentially sign Pettersson with salary retention, but meaning still a large contract such as Morgan Rielly or even Mitch Marner or John Tavares is out the door in a return.
Marner is too valuable to be a one-for-one in a Pettersson deal with Toronto having leverage in the Canucks dressing room difficulties, and Rielly/Tavares are far from being able to get a deal done on their own.
Even a first round pick and a top prospect such as Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten might not do enough to sway the Canucks.
There is also the fact that Pettersson is signed for $11.6M until 2032, so you're not getting him for cheap or as a stopgap.
This season, Pettersson has 10 goals and 18 assists in 34 games for Vancouver, and has a career 440 points in 441 games.
Vancouver would also want it ensured that any deal for a player like Mitch Marner, and likely the same for John Tavares, come with a contract extension if that is the Canucks goal, and likely is.
Would the Toronto Maple Leafs even be able to re-sign Mitch Marner and John Tavares to contract extensions if a deal is centered around a player such as Morgan Rielly?
Hard to envision both returning with what would be heavy financial restraints, and that doesn't include the return of Matthews in the lineup.
Elias Pettersson is currently on retroactive injured reserve, having been placed recently by the Canucks.
