Vancouver Canucks star center Elias Pettersson has been in the rumor mill for a very long time.
It is no secret that Pettersson could use a change of scenery. It would also be understandable if the Canucks wanted to move the 27-year-old as they continue their massive rebuild.
Pettersson is also starting to raise his trade value. After having back-to-back rough seasons with the Canucks in 2024-25 and 2025-26, he has been showings of his elite form early on this campaign. In 16 games this campaign, he has posted four goals and 16 points. With this, he is back to being a point-per-game player on this season, which is great to see.
Now, an NHL insider proposed the idea of the Canucks Pettersson to one of their division rivals: the Los Angeles Kings.
During a recent episode of DFO Insider, NHL insider David Pagnotta brought up the possibility of the Canucks trading Pettersson to the Kings and wondered if Los Angeles could be open to sending Quinton Byfield to Vancouver as part of the deal.
"I am really curious, do they circle back again for the umpteenthed time even with Kenny Holland now as GM cause Rob Blake did it before," Pagnotta said about the Kings. "Do they go to Vancouver and say 'we like Elias Pettersson' and we can discuss Quinton Byfield?"
"Wow, that would be a monster of a deal" Pagnotta's cohost Jeff Marek said about the proposed deal.
Pagnotta also noted that there would need to be more added to this potential Pettersson trade for it to have any chance of coming to fruition.
"If you have a guy like Q that's available in this and other pieces as well, I'm not saying this is a one-for-one," Pagnotta said. "Risks on both sides, but man, if I'm looking at this, if I'm LA, I'm going, 'yeah, you need secondary scoring.' Panarin, Pettersson, Kempe?"
Sending Pettersson to Los Angeles by itself would be a shocking move for the Canucks. The Kings are one of Vancouver's biggest rivals, after all. Yet, the idea of landing a 24-year-old former second-overall pick center in Byfield would make this deal even more jaw-dropping if it came to fruition.
Byfield has had a quiet start to the season in 2026-27, as he has two goals and four points in 11 games. However, he also posted at least 20 goals and 49 points in each of his last three seasons, so he has the potential to bounce back.
Why Byfield may not be the right player to acquire for Pettersson
The idea of the Canucks landing a center like Byfield for Pettersson is undoubtedly a fascinating one. He is a former top prospect who has shown that he can be a solid top-six center. Yet, he may not be the best fit for where the Canucks are at right now.
Byfield is signed through the 2028-29 season and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent when his deal expires. Thus, he has only two more years left on his contract after this season. With this and the Canucks unlikely to be a playoff team over that span, a player like Byfield may not be the best fit for Vancouver at this time.
However, at just 24 years old, Byfield is still young enough that he could hit a new level. Due to this, it is fair to wonder if Vancouver could be willing to take a gamble on Byfield if he is ever made available.
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