We find ourselves just over a week away from the 2026 Trade Deadline, and while the actual trade market hasn’t awoken quite yet, the rumour market is already up and at ‘em. With the Vancouver Canucks already declared sellers – and with Canadian team-related rumours a surefire way to pick up views – they’ve naturally been at the centre of much of the speculation. But as is always the case, not all rumours are created equal.

If you’ve followed the speculation at all, you’ve no doubt noticed a bit of an uptick in the chatter surrounding the senior Elias Pettersson. While he’s not getting as much attention as UFAs like Evander Kane, his name has been mentioned by multiple sources over the past two weeks, though there’s little indication that a move is imminent.

One particularly detailed piece of supposed information was that the Los Angeles Kings, specifically, had really increased their interest in acquiring Pettersson. Now, we can probably safely discount the first time this was brought up by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, it was phrased as though Pettersson’s two-goal performance against Slovakia at the Olympics was the reason LA’s interested had picked up.

With all due respect to all involved, two goals in an Olympic round robin against a roster only partially filled with NHLers is not going to be the reason anyone changes their opinion on Pettersson.

But Pagnotta has since doubled down via the Hello Hockey podcast, stating outright that the Kings’ interest in Pettersson is legitimate. In fact, Pagnotta went as far as to say that while the Kings were interested, he wasn’t sure if they could meet the Canucks’ asking price. Other pundits have chimed in with similar statements, including Darren Dreger.

So, whether the rumours are ginned up off a one-game headline from Milan, or whether there’s actually some sand to them, we’re here today to talk about whether or not Pettersson-to-LA makes any sort of sense.

We’ll start with the Canucks’ perspective. Why would they be interested in such a deal? That one is fairly easy. They’re engaged in a rebuild, and if the return for Pettersson is actually a good one – as in, the kind of package LA might not even be able to cobble together – then those pieces acquired could be vital to the rebuild’s success. The Canucks are running short on tradeable assets that could bring back sizeable returns. If Pettersson can, they have to consider it.

Especially considering that Pettersson has yet to bounce back all the way to his former glory in Vancouver, and at times looks as though he never will. There’s been a lot of talk of a fresh start benefiting Pettersson. There’s also been a lot of talk about Pettersson’s failure to live up to his $11.6 million AAV extension thus far. With six years left on that contract, there might be a desire to cut bait now, especially if cutting bait includes the Canucks picking up some high-quality prospects or picks in the exchange. It is, at the very least, worth thinking about.

Speaking of the contract, the “why to LA, specifically?” question is probably best answered by Pettersson himself. He does have a full no-movement clause, after all. The Canucks might reasonably prefer not to trade Pettersson within the division, but if Pettersson is willing to go to LA and LA is willing to pay up for him, maybe they don’t have any better options.

Pettersson has seemed to enjoy the West Coast lifestyle. His wife is an online influencer, and what better place to continue that career than in Hollywood? We’re purely speculating here, but of all the destinations out there that Pettersson might say ‘yes’ to, Los Angeles seems high on the list.

Which brings us to the Kings themselves, and why their interest in him might be legitimate.

The Kings are, admittedly, in a bit of a weird spot. They’re a fringe contender in 2025-26, currently a few points back of the last Wild Card spot in the West, but at other times in the top-three of the Pacific Division. Waiting until next year, however, isn’t exactly an option for the Kings. This has been announced as captain Anze Kopitar’s last NHL season, and they’d really like to end it with one last playoff run for him. In other words, they’re going to try their best to improve their roster within this regular season, and now they’ve only got a week and change to do it.

The Kings’ task became more complicated at those aforementioned Olympic Games, where Kevin Fiala suffered a season-ending injury against Team Canada. Fiala’s injury hurts LA’s chances, but it also opens up a lot of cap space, including what is now known as “playoff cap space.” The Kings could add the entirety of Pettersson’s $11.6 million cap hit to both their regular season and their postseason rosters without breaking a sweat, and there aren’t many other teams heading to the playoffs who can say the same thing.

But why Pettersson, specifically?

It’s clear that the Kings are in the market for a centre. They’ve still got Kopitar for now, but only for a matter of months. They’ve got former second overall pick Quinton Byfield, who has yet to really break out at the NHL level, and who is currently playing on the wing. They’ve got Alex Laferriere, who is usually a winger but has been filling in at centre. They’ve got Alex Turcotte, who never really panned out on his promise. And that’s about all they’ve got worth mentioning.

That is a group that could use help right now, in the here and now. But that’s also a group that will definitely need even more help the minute Kopitar retires.

Bringing in Pettersson adds a lot of centre depth right now, and for the foreseeable future. One has to like the idea of the two-way one-two punch of Pettersson and Kopitar matching up against opposing top-sixes for one last run.

But at the same time, acquiring Pettersson is probably just as much about the younger centres. The Kings were once said to have the greatest prospect collection in the entire NHL. But the bulk of those prospects have wound up being disappointments, and the Kings just aren’t where they hoped to be at this point. Even some of those who have made it have underserved on their expectations, and Byfield is probably near the top of that list.

But Byfield is still just 23 years old. Bringing in Pettersson buys Byfield a little more time and space to figure it out, and takes the pressure off of him immediately having to fill Kopitar’s shoes. That Pettersson shares some stylistic similarities to Kopitar, particularly on the defensive end of the puck, makes a big difference here. Byfield has enough of a task ahead of him, figuring out how to replace Kopitar’s offensive contributions. If someone else can cover the defence component, that ups Byfield’s chances of success.

And finding a way to support Byfield’s success is really the only way the Kings can get anything out of their current younger core that includes folks like Byfield, Laferriere, and Brandt Clarke. Those are all players in their early 20s. The LA retool hasn’t exactly been a home run, but they have been left with some talent on their roster that they’d like to make the most of. One might argue that the 27-year-old Pettersson fits in better with that group than he does with the slightly-younger Canucks contingent. That’s not to mention his aligning even better with some of the remaining and established vets, like the 29-year-old Adrian Kempe.

The Kings do not have any notable centre prospects on the horizon. The help will have to come from outside the organization.

Put it all together, and one understands why the Kings might have interest. Part of that interest would obviously have to include the ‘fresh start’ aspect and the potential for Pettersson to return a higher quality of play in a new environment. But we’d hazard a guess that, with very few centres of any real calibre available on the trade market, the Kings might even be willing to overpay a little in terms of salary to get their pivot. They might be relatively fine acquiring Pettersson at his current price and level of play, if that’s the best centre they can get their hands on right now and for the next handful of years.

But would they also be willing to overpay – or at least pay – in terms of the cost of acquisition? Even Pagnotta, the source of the original rumour, doubted their ability to meet the price. And the Canucks themselves have little reason to undersell on Pettersson, unless they’re truly determined to get out from under the contract right away.

Where the Kings will fall short is on the prospects to offer up. Previously, the Kings’ top-five prospect list contained forward Liam Greentree (traded for Artemi Panarin), RD Henry Brzustewicz (Canucks already traded his brother), and then three goaltenders, which is the position of least need for Vancouver. In other words, if a prospect is included in the return for Pettersson, it would have to be as a complementary piece, not a main course.

The Kings do have plenty of picks to offer. They’ve got their own first rounders for the next three drafts, and their own second rounders, plus an extra this year acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets. But then, it’s hard to imagine a Pettersson return being purely pick-based. The Kings have the cap to accommodate it, but unless we’re talking multiple firsts, it probably won’t meet the Canucks’ asking price.

That leaves us with some combination of picks and young NHLers. But there, the Kings are a little short, too. Clarke is untouchable. We could almost get behind a Byfield-for-Pettersson swap, with the Kings betting that Byfield will never pan out and that Pettersson will bounce back. But betting on and building around an older centre just doesn’t make sense for where the Kings are at. Platooning Pettersson with Byfield would have to be part of the plan.

The best player the Canucks could probably hope for would be Laferriere. He’s a versatile forward who can fill in anywhere, but probably tops out as a high-quality, high-motor middle-six winger in the long run. He’s not exactly a main course, either, but combine him with a few picks and maybe we’re approaching the ballpark.

So, to summarize, it does make sense for the Kings to have some interest in Pettersson – at least, more interest than most teams – and it does make some sense for the Canucks (and Pettersson himself) to be interested in an exchange. The cap lines up, but the assets available to the Kings make for a narrow window of negotiation. There’s really only a handful of possible deals on the table, and if both teams like the shape of it, maybe something happens.

Or maybe not. That’s the way things go this time of year.

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 8 AM-12:30 PM PT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.