On Wednesday, J.P. Barry, agent of Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, joined Donnie and Dhali – The Team. He was asked if he was surprised to hear general manager Patrik Allvin say that he will “keep all [his] options open” regarding possibly trading Barry’s client.
“Not really,” Barry said. “It’s a business, and we all know they’ve had discussions in the last two years. We’d be naive to think that they didn’t explore every possibility with the situation they had this year. So, I’m sure that’s still possible.”
The Canucks have a little bit of a deadline to move Pettersson. On July 1, a full no-move clause on Pettersson’s eight-year contract will kick in, which would undoubtedly make it difficult to trade the 26-year-old.
Barry admitted he could see where the Canucks and head coach Rick Tocchet were coming from in their criticism of Pettersson’s effort during the 2024-25 season.
“It’s a business, and things didn’t go well. [Pettersson’s] a highly-paid player and he’s got a great contract, and he wants to do better. … I think there’s a lot of motivation for him, but I’m not surprised that they are going to push the buttons. He’s heard it loud and clear.”
Tocchet had been critical of Pettersson’s preparation over the past year, which saw the Swede score just 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points in 64 games. Barry states that his client is ready to grind away this offseason to be ready for the 2025-26 campaign.
“I think we’re going to see a different player in September.”
Pettersson’s offencive production was the lowest since the COVID-shortened 2021 season. Allvin knows that Pettersson can be the superstar many have projected to become, but it comes down to buying into the system to help the Canucks become a winning team again.
“I do believe that the last three years, Elias had one down year,” Allvin said during his media availability on Monday. “Which was this year. It’s not about the individual points. It’s about playing the right way in order to win.”
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