Canucks Roundtable: Predicting deals for Pettersson and Hughes
Constantine Maragos – Contributor
While the NHL’s flat-cap era is here to stay for the foreseeable future, the league’s stars will still get paid — Hughes and Pettersson are included in that group. While I don’t think the pair will sign long-term deals just yet, I expect agent J.P. Barry to negotiate their contracts in tandem.
After re-signing Thatcher Demko and Tanner Pearson, the Canucks have roughly $17.4 million in cap space; expect the Canucks stars’ contract to eat up most of that amount. However, it seems that the team will save around $8.5-to-9-million from LTIR and buried salaries, so it’s possible that the Canucks can re-sign most of their free agents and lock up their franchise cornerstones.
Realistically though, it’s unlikely that the team signs both players long-term and ice a competitive team this year. So, I expect the duo to sign three-year bridge deals at ~$7.5-million apiece before cashing in on an even more considerable dollar amount thereafter.
Zaahid Lalani – Contributor
There’s no denying that Hughes has been an offensive stud for the Canucks’ blueline so far, having registered an impressive 84 points in 110 games. But, as we’ve seen firsthand this season, he also has a few defensive fundamentals that need to be cleaned up before he can establish himself as a bonafide all-star defenceman in this league.
Factor in the flat cap and the team’s recent transactions, as well as their dire need to secure another top-four defenceman, and you can see why it’d be tough for management to put pen to paper on a long-term deal at this point. If Hughes signs a bridge deal, which many of us are hoping for, expect him to land two to three years with an average annual value between $5.5 and 6 million.
Similar to the Hughes’ situation, it wouldn’t make sense (or be financially possible) for Jim Benning and co. to sign Pettersson to a max contract in the offseason, despite his offensive production so far. The former Calder Trophy winner has amassed 153 points in 165 games to this date and appears to be improving every year.
There’s very little doubt that Pettersson will become the franchise centre that we all expect him to be, but it’s still hard to identify his overall ceiling, especially when you factor in his injury history and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the league. Pettersson still has room to grow as a player, and it would be wise for him to do so under a short-term, team-friendly deal.
Easier said than done, of course, but it would be wise for Benning to look around the league, particularly at Mathew Barzal’s recent contract. If he can ink EP40 to a three-year deal just north of $20 million total, I’d call that a good deal.
Joshua Rey – Contributor
Due to the flat cap and Canucks’ cap crunch, it’s fair to say that Pettersson and Hughes’ next contracts are going to be bridge deals.
For Pettersson, his numbers have shown he is worth about $8 million. After all, he has won the Calder and is already a two-time all-star. Pettersson without a doubt deserves the money he wants but I think it will be a bridge deal. I’m going to predict Pettersson’s contract will have an annual average value of $8 million per year for three years.
Hughes was a Calder nominee and an all-star. While he has put up good numbers this season, but his defensive play is among the worst in the league. Therefore, I don’t think he will get as much as Pettersson, but Hughes is still is going to get better as a player beyond this season. I’m going to predict that Hughes’ next contract will be three years with an AAV of $6 million.
Final thoughts
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