5 Contract Comparisons for Canucks' Elias Pettersson
Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson has taken his time with negotiating and signing a new contract with the team. The 25-year-old has reiterated his wish to wait until the end of the season to talk numbers, and it's looking like this season Pettersson will have a near repeat of his offensive performance from 2022-23.
That would entail another 100-point campaign, and bad news for the Canucks or fans if they were hoping Pettersson would be getting a cheaper contract compared to the market, as we'll further discuss shortly.
Recently extended Hockey Hall of Famer, president Jim Rutherford, isn't worried yet, according to NHL.com. “There's not anybody getting anxious here,” Rutherford said. “Come the offseason, then things will get a lot more serious if in fact the situation gets to that point.”
“My son asked me [about the Pettersson contract] at 7 o'clock this morning, just for the record, because he asks me almost every morning, just like everybody else wants to know,” Rutherford said. “Look, we can wait. I'll say the obvious; we keep saying it over and over: We really want him to stay. He's a very special player. He's very important to the Canucks, he's very important to the city, and he can't walk at the end of the season, and that's the position that we've taken. We've taken it very comfortably.”
Essentially, if Rutherford has his way, Pettersson isn't going anywhere. Frankly, the Canucks just have no way to replace him, especially considering the success they've had this season. With that said, let's talk comparisons for the next Elias Pettersson contract.
#5. Jonathan Huberdeau: Eight years, $84 million
As much as the Canucks would love to get a Pettersson contract done at this price, it just doesn't seem likely. This is the best-case scenario, though Vancouver will have very little bargaining power at this price point given Jonathan Huberdeau's recent performances.
Huberdeau did, however, ink this deal on the heels of a 30-goal, 85-assist, 115-point season in 2021-22. That's not dissimilar to what Pettersson is going to end up with for the Canucks this year.
The 30-year-old also has a no-movement clause until 2029 (Year 7), after which he's eligible to submit a 12-team trade list of teams he's willing to go to. I'm sure the Canucks don't care much for trade protection in a Pettersson contract, but it's nice to know that they might have some options.
#4. William Nylander: Eight years, $92 million
OK, it's time for the obvious. William Nylander's recent contract extension - Jan. 8 to be exact - is probably the second-best-case scenario for the Canucks.
Pettersson's fellow countryman signed an eight-year, $92 million extension that carries an AAV and cap hit of $11.5 million. The contract also features a no-movement clause that is in effect for the entire duration of the deal.
Nylander's contract will make him a Maple Leafs player until he's 36. If Pettersson indeed extends with the Canucks long-term and takes eight years, he'll be signed through age 34. For his benefit, that means one last chance at a lucrative payday towards the end of his prime. The Canucks probably hope to have gotten at least one Stanley Cup out of him by that point.
It's also worth noting that Nylander has exceeded 80 points just once in his career, and is a three-time 30-goal scorer. Pettersson is on pace for his third 30-goal season, and second 100-point campaign.
#3. Matthew Tkachuk: Eight years, $76 million
Hear me out: what if?
Matthew Tkachuk was signed in the sign-and-trade that sent him to the Florida Panthers and Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames. Tkachuk's contract carries a cap hit of $9.5 million annually, which sounds cheap for the Canucks here. There is a catch.
The Panthers star's total salary was only $9 million in 2022-23, but jumped up to $11.25 million (see Pastrnak, David) starting with the 2023-24 season and ending in the 2025-26 season. It decreases incrementally down to $7 million from there.
So, while the cap hit remains the same, this is a front-loaded deal from a technical standpoint. The Canucks likely won't be able to bargain their way down to $7 million, but it is a structure they could follow. Tkachuk had no trade protection in Year 1, has a no-movement clause from Years 2-6, and a 16-team no-trade list for Years 7 and 8.
#2. Auston Matthews: Five years, $59.195 million
Finally, a Kyle Dubas contract on the list. This one was always a strange one.
On Feb. 5, 2019, Auston Matthews signed a five-year, $58.195 million contract with the Maple Leafs that featured a total salary of $15.9 million... but only for the first two years. Matthews had an AAV of $11.64 million with a no-movement clause that kicked in for Year 5 only.
Per CapFriendly, "The AAV of this contract was increased in 2020-21 due to the raised league minimum salaries set by the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)."
This contract signed Matthews from his Age 22 season through his Age 26 season, so the Canucks and Pettersson might be looking for a change of pace, in general. In terms of money, we might be looking at our top comparison, which is next...
#1. Auston Matthews again: Four years, $53 million
Sorry. Brad Treliving strikes this list again.
We always had to account for the fact that the next Pettersson contract with the Canucks isn't one that's super long-term. Perhaps, like Matthews, Pettersson wants to make his money now while also leaving the possibility open for another lucrative contract at Age 30 or so.
On Aug. 23, Matthews signed a four-year, $53 million extension with the Maple Leafs - on the back of the deal from the last slide - which carries an AAV of $13.25 million. The 26-year-old will make $16.7 million in cash this season and then drop to $15.2 million, $11.08 million, and $10.02 million in the years that follow.
It's another front-loaded deal that the Canucks might look at, but they do have the Oliver Ekman-Larsson buyout handicapping them a little bit. Regardless, there's simply no chance these two Matthews contracts don't get brought up in negotiations between the two sides.
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If the Canucks want to get a Pettersson contract done and keep their superstar in the city for a long-time, it's going to take a huge chunk of change at this point. This would have been done long ago if a team-friendly deal were on the table.
Note: All contract data used in this article comes from CapFriendly.