Elliotte Friedman claims Canucks will ask $92,800,000 forward 'to spend more time' in Vancouver during offseason

Elliotte Friedman shared an update about Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson on Sportsnet's Hockey Night in Canada. The Sportsnet panel which included insiders Kevin Bieksa and Elliotte Friedman, discussed what the Canucks need to fix.

Friedman said the team wants Pettersson to spend more time in Vancouver. He made it clear they are not asking him to stay all summer. But the team hopes for a bigger offseason presence.

"There was this news that came out this week pretty strongly in favor of what we are talking," Friedman said. "I think that's the first thing that gets sorted out one way or the other. But Pettersson, they are gonna ask him not to spend the whole summer in Vancouver but more time in Vancouver."

Pettersson signed an eight-year, $92.8 million contract last March. His deal includes a no-movement clause that starts this July. The Canucks likely want him more involved during the offseason. This could help with team chemistry and planning. Pettersson is seen as a key part of the team’s future.

The Canucks were eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week. They had a 37-29-13 record with 87 points. Last season, they led the Pacific Division with 109 points. They have secured two back-to-back wins against Dallas Stars 6-5 in overtime and Colorado Avalanche 4-1. With these wins, they have gone 3-2-0 in their last five games.

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet on Elias Pettersson's injury

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet earlier confirmed that Pettersson will miss the rest of the season. He has been out with an upper-body injury since March 22. Tocchet said the injury has not healed as expected.

"I didn't seriously, but it was an injury where I don't know if it's like, sometimes I get in trouble, like, because everybody's different," Tocchet said.

"But also how you react off injuries. So originally I thought after a while, maybe some pain, but at this point, it's progressing, but not at the pace we want. So, why even play him? That's kind of where we're at."

Pettersson ends the season with 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games. This is his second-lowest point total in a season. He scored 102 points in 2022-23 and 89 points last season. He struggled to produce this year before the injury. He also had no points in three games at the 4 Nations Face-Off.