Let’s Talk About Elias Pettersson, Big Ticket Trade Rumors and the Chicago Blackhawks ...Middle East

Earlier this week, Darren Dreger reported the now rebuilding Vancouver Canucks are now actually potentially listening to calls on center Elias Pettersson. The 27-year-old “star” is signed to a massive contract that carries an $11.6 million cap hit through the 2031-32 season.

He put up a career high 102 points during the 2022-23 season, but has seen his production go down in the subsequent seasons. He appeared in only 64 games and scored only 15 goals last year.

Whenever there’s a big name who potentially becomes available, there’s a segment of the Blackhawks’ fan base that grabs its bullhorn and shouts for Chicago’s front office to make a deal.

Here’s a Cliff Notes version of my Chicago Blackhawks — Elias Pettersson FAQ:

I’ve admittedly never been a Pettersson fan and I’m not thrilled at the prospect of a) committing cap space to him for term, b) giving up premium assets to acquire him, and c) committing a top-six spot to him.

There’s one more issue — an elephant in the Blackhawks’ room — that we should jump into at this point.

Do the Blackhawks “need” a “star”?

Some areas of Blackhawks social media and fans continue to subscribe to the belief that Chicago is going to “need” to look outside the organization for a “star” player to take the rebuild to the next level/over the top.

If you’ve been reading about the Blackhawks here for more than the first portion of this article, you should know by now that I’m not there yet.

What we’re seeing on the NHL ice at this point has been exciting and improving. Which continues to lead impatient fans and some writers to beg for a quick fix to accelerate the path to contention.

But what we’re seeing on the NHL ice at this point is also just the first wave of talent coming to the NHL.

The Blackhawks already have two centerpieces of their top-six in place in Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. Nick Lardis has been at least intriguing during his first run in the NHL; he’s still learning and developing and, frankly, physically maturing. Oliver Moore is getting more impressive with each game. Ryan Greene has played up and down the lineup with everyone on the roster it seems and hasn’t missed a beat.

There is good reason for excitement that Anton Frondell can be an impact player at the NHL level. He has already signed his entry-level contract and some insiders, including Frank Seravalli, believe there’s an outside chance he could make his NHL debut as soon as the end of this regular season (after his SHL campaign ends).

If you buy into comps, there are folks out there who will point to statistical similarities and tell you there’s a possibility that Roman Kantserov could provide the kind of offense that we’ve seen from Artemi Panarin and Kirill Kaprizov. His KHL contract expires in June, at which point there’s hope he signs with the Blackhawks. Scott Powers, the resident all-things-Russian-prospects guy, has been on that for some time.

I’m willing to be patient to see how Frondell and, hopefully, Kantserov look against NHL competition to begin making proclamations about the organization “needing” to make a bold move.

And then we can start talking about guys like Marek Vanacker, who leads the OHL in goals this season. He’s already signed his entry-level contract and will fully turn pro next season.

Then there are guys like Václav Nestrašil, Nathan Behm and Jack Pridham — each of whom has been very impressive this year. They might be a little further down the road and some might wonder about them being “top-six” fixtures at the NHL level, but there are future waves of prospects coming beyond the guys who might be in Chicago in November as well.

And, don’t forget, the Blackhawks have two picks in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. Those two picks could be used to add more talent to the pipeline.

So… Blackhawks not buying at all?

Well, not exactly.

Even considering everything I just wrote about the Blackhawks’ pipeline being enviable and my willingness to be patient — and every indication telling us GMKD is going to stay on plan — I’m not completely excluding the possibility of a trade of some significance.

GMKD told us he was purposefully, intentionally stacking future assets three years ago when he traded Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty to Toronto for a first-round pick in 2025 (that eventually became Nestrašil). That’s been part of his plan because if/when the time arrives and the right trade opportunity presents itself, the Blackhawks will need assets. And, more importantly, the Blackhawks want to not only build a winner, but be able to sustain the winning once they get back there.

There are teams making decisions to take a step back right now. Vancouver has officially used the word “rebuild.” It sounds like St. Louis is ready to do some retooling as well. And the New York Rangers might be close to implosion. Other teams will probably join that list in the coming weeks.

And, as was the case with the Blackhawks when they embarked on this rebuild, the two things rebuilding teams will likely want are picks and prospects. And the Blackhawks have plenty of both — including five picks in the first two rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft.

My biggest point is this:

If the Chicago Blackhawks are going to make a big swing, they need to do it on the right player at the right time.

I’m not sold that Pettersson is the right player, and that now is the right time to bring him into this room.

For those will inevitably ask because I mentioned the Rangers: I’m not a big fan of the idea of bringing Artemi Panarin back, either. Not unless he helps get Kantserov off to a good start and that’s a significant part of the rationale. And even then, I would wait for free agency this summer and not give up assets when he’s absolutely leaving the Rangers.

And I’m certainly not entertaining “trade rumors” for guys like Brady Tkachuk on social media that would require consuming bong water to even conceive, much less take seriously.

Using the Blackhawks’ dynasty teams — that we’ll celebrate this weekend — as the “mold” for a rebuild is dangerous, because the confluence of perfect circumstances that aligned for that roster to be in place would be impossible to replicate. Two teams passed on Jonathan Toews in the draft, Patrick Kane was the last piece drafted. Toews and Kane joined a young-but-veteran roster that was talented and ready to go. And Marian Hossa became available at the perfect moment to elevate the entire thing to history.

This is going to be different. There likely won’t be “another Hossa” situation because, well, Hossa was a special player. And the escalating cap is going to make big ticket UFAs less likely to hit the open market for the next few years.

Things are going well right now. Some would argue they’re still better than expected. So let’s enjoy the ride a bit and see where things go.

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