Let's be perfectly honest. It would be impossible for the Vegas Golden Knights to acquire Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks. The Swedish superstar carries a cap hit of $11.6 million annually until 2032. Even with some retention involved, it's a gaudy number to swallow, specifically for a team tight on space like the Golden Knights (current cap space of $3,427,670).
There are also looming questions about Jack Eichel and what his next deal will look like. He'll become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 and he's on pace to fetch over $10 million AAV. In fact, fans should expect that number to touch $12 million or more should his production continue towards the 100-point mark.
Throw in the multitude of draft picks and prospects required for the Canucks to accept and that'd be a tough mountain to climb. Unless you're hoping for Vancouver to pull an Avalanche and Blackhawks by giving away Pettersson for a vastly discounted price, trading two second-round picks and Brendan Brisson ain't cuttin' it. And yes, the reasons why Pettersson should be passed up have already been covered.
But let's say some unforeseen circumstances lead the Golden Knights to acquire the forward. After all, PuckPedia is projecting them to have $6,610,056 by the deadline, meaning they can use that cash to work a deal. Maybe a player will go on LTIR and draw the ire of NHL fans everywhere. (you know it's coming). Maybe Vancouver will make a trade as dumb as the Mikko Rantanen deal, where the Golden Knights don't have to give up too much. Here are three reasons why Vegas will benefit greatly from adding another solid Swede to their collection.
Elias Petterson is young
It's no secret Kelly McCrimmon loves looking for players who are good for the team's outlook in the long term. Last season, he acquired Noah Hanifin (then 27 years old) and was signed to an eight-year, $7.35 million AAV deal a month later. A couple of seasons prior, the Vegas Golden Knights acquired Ivan Barbashev (also 27 years old when traded) from the St. Louis Blues. He got a five-year, $5 million AAV deal the next offseason.
That also goes for in-house extensions such as Shea Theodore (29 years old, received a seven-year, 47.425 million AAV deal), Keegan Kolesar (27, received a three-year, $2.5 million AAV deal), and Brett Howden (26, received a five-year, $2.5 million AAV deal). The theme? McCrimmon's locking his core in for the Stanley Cup contention window.
Of course, the final piece will involve Eichel getting his contract extension soon. However, the salary cap is expected to jump to approximately $92.5 million next season, lessening the blow. Considering McCrimmon's track record of salary retention, it could make the trade more feasible, specifically if the Golden Knight get more space.