The Toronto Maple Leafs have learned the price for an Elias Pettersson deal and surprisingly it's not going to be as costly as one would think.
There was some discussion this past season heading into the offseason that Elias Pettersson could be on the move out of Vancouver. He has struggled to regain his form, is fairly pricey, and the Canucks seem more and more ready to move on the longer this situation drags out.
But he's also a player who has had back-to-back seasons where he had 85+ points including a blistering 102-point effort back in 2022-23 along with above average defence, physicality, and some shot-blocking thrown in there.
Clearly he's talented and right now he's sort of stuck on a middling Canucks team that doesn't have a clear direction though are working towards getting competitive in due time.
Elias Pettersson's trade value sequel to Darnell Nurse and that's the best-case scenario
But that time may also not be long enough, and according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic, any team who is looking to add Pettersson from Vancouver should they trade him - are looking at actually a pretty solid deal.
Drance believes that Pettersson's potential trade could come down to a Darnell Nurse-styled deal which actually means he won't be that expensive at least in terms of assets.
On Pettersson, I think you're looking at something similar to the Darnell Nurse trade return as a best-case scenario.
Yes, Edmonton got two very good young players who will slot in sooner than later, but they are more happy about getting Nurse's money off the books. That's seemingly what Vancouver is looking for, and if they're serious about rebuilding then focusing on the youth core is a great idea.
Toronto needs to get creative if they want a chance to acquire Pettersson
Though it's interesting to hear that's the best-case scenario, because if Vancouver is desperate, they may be willing to retain salary or be more open to other assets; not necessarily trying to squeeze teams of their pieces.
That's great news for the Maple Leafs then if they are looking to get Pettersson though it's not going to be easy. They have to get rid of Morgan Rielly's deal first, then find another $5-million and change to cover Pettersson's deal if there's no retention.
Max Domi's LTIR relief is going to help and that covers over half the remainder once Rielly is dealt away, but the team is still going to be hovering near the cap limit regardless. So they may need to get creative and pull in a third team to help give Vancouver some pieces, offset their own cap, and find a way to afford Pettersson.
Who that team is will be anyone's guess but it's going to be someone who can take on a decent salary hit while also not handicapping themselves by depleting assets; so John Chayka has his homework cut out for him.
It may be the only way Toronto can afford Pettersson but he'd instantly transform the lineup so it might be worth that hefty price.
Should the Maple Leafs pursue Elias Pettersson or is he too expensive?
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