During Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared information about the blockbuster trade that took place on Friday night between the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche. Friedman added that there was a point yesterday he thought Elias Pettersson was going to be traded to Carolina, and with them now off the table, he mentions another suitor who is poking around the Swedish forward.
“And finally, Pettersson. There was a time yesterday [when] I thought that Pettersson was going to be a Carolina Hurricane. Obviously, it didn’t happen. I think those talks continue, and I believe that one of the teams that has really shown a lot of interest is Buffalo. There are others, but the Sabres are definitely in there.”
"There was a time yesterday where I thought Pettersson was going to be a Carolina Hurricane" – Elliotte Friedman
🎥: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/WK5rwGzijb
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) January 26, 2025
This isn’t the first time Friedman has spoken about a connection between Pettersson and the Sabres. The first time, however, was more of a hypothetical ‘Who says no?’ trade, where he had Dylan Cozens and Bowen Byram headed Vancouver’s way for Pettersson.
Due to the Canucks’ struggles this season, upper management has decided that the club needs to move on from one of JT Miller or Pettersson…or both.
Miller has been most of the trade talk lately, as he was nearly traded to the New York Rangers one week ago. It was reported Miller and his camp had not asked to be moved but now has informed the team he is ready to move on, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
Pettersson, on the other hand, has informed the Canucks that he would like to stay in Vancouver.
The Canucks look to be running into some troubles moving on from Miller, as they’re reportedly getting pennies on the dollar. And it now looks as though the Sabres will be interested in the Canucks forward if the club does make him available. Pettersson’s trade protection does not kick in until July 1.
Buffalo has plenty of young, talented players in their organization that might entice the Canucks if they do decide to move on from Pettersson. They have shown previous interest in defenceman and British Columbia native Bowen Byram.
