On Friday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal welcomed NHL insider Frank Seravalli to discuss the Vancouver Canucks’ activity on the trade market, the ongoing concerns with Elias Pettersson, and the team’s overall struggles this season.

Seravalli first addressed the Canucks’ likely approach to the trade market, suggesting that a defensive acquisition may be on the horizon.

“I wouldn’t put a timer on it by December, but I think they’re going to be trading for a defenceman in the foreseeable future,” said Seravalli. “Their efficiency moving the puck is a non-negotiable part of Rick Tocchet’s structure, and it really erodes once you get past the first pair. In the very short term, Patrik Allvin has been making calls around the league—there’s zero doubt about that. He’s the league’s most aggressive general manager, always looking to improve the team, which is a feather in the organisation’s cap. But right now, the focus is on getting their full complement of players on the ice. Say what you will about Derek Forbort, but they haven’t had a fully healthy roster with Dakota Joshua and everyone in the lineup yet. We’ll see what that looks like, and the Canucks will assess from there.”

Shifting the conversation to Elias Pettersson, Seravalli shared his observations as an outsider watching Pettersson’s development over the past two seasons.

“There’s no doubt there’s some level of concern here,” he remarked. “How high that concern is might be hard to pinpoint since you’ll never get an honest answer, but we’re now two seasons into this. The level of acceptable excuses is kind of out the window. It’s not about finding better players for him to play with, or concerns over his knee, or any other question you can raise. It’s one guy making $11.6 million a year for the next seven years after this season who cannot afford to be a passenger; he has to be a driver. Right now, he’s clearly having a crisis of confidence. He’s making routine plays look difficult, and frankly, he appears disengaged. Watching his game, you see him throw away pucks or shy away from net-front battles with a softer approach. This isn’t the player we saw break into the league with that sniper’s confidence, picking corners rather than throwing weak shots at the net. I don’t know what happened, but there’s no doubt, 40 games into this sample size, that the Canucks would be concerned.”

Seravalli went on to reflect on what could be contributing to Pettersson’s apparent struggles. “It’s almost like he cares too much about how his game is perceived—what people say about him, or how the coverage looks. We’re past the point of wondering if he wants to be part of this team’s mix long-term. I didn’t see any of this in the early part of his career, so I’m not sure why it’s popping up now.”

In discussing the Canucks’ overall potential this season, Seravalli offered a realistic perspective on their standing among top teams in the league.

“I’m not on board with them as cup contenders,” he said. “I have a small circle of five teams who could win, and the Canucks aren’t one of those five teams right now. Holistically, this team isn’t as good as they were last year. They have upside and promise, a great story in Kevin Lankinen, and they’re a competitive, solid 100-point playoff team, but they still have work to do to reach that next echelon of teams.”

Seravalli believes that to join the league’s elite teams, the Canucks need at least one more key addition on defence. “At the very minimum, they need another top-four defenceman with all the preferred attributes,” he explained. “It’s not just about skating fast, but moving the puck fast and being quick-minded; it’s more than just being big. There have been some strong moments for this team to start the season, and some really rough ones too. Probably everyone would feel a bit differently had they not blown two third-period leads early on. Consistency will win the day, and they’re not there yet.”

You can watch the full segment below: