Assessing The Canucks’ Direction
Reports surfaced earlier this month that the Canucks had re-engaged in contract talks with pending free-agent forward Kiefer Sherwood and were discussing a potential five- or six-year deal worth over $4MM per season. It’s hard to say whether the reports had merit, or whether the Canucks were serious about retaining Sherwood – or merely posturing to get a better trade return before the trade deadline.
Regardless of their true intentions, the Canucks’ direction is tough to figure out. They currently sit last in the NHL standings and, since New Year’s Day, are 0-7-2 and have been outscored 40-14. They don’t appear close to a winning run, yet there is little talk of a sell-off or a pivot into a rebuild. Their fans certainly like to talk on social media about embracing the tank, and the Canucks are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Elias Pettersson.
The truth about Vancouver is that it’s been a mess, off and on, for the better part of the last 10 to 15 years, from the top of the organization down to the players. There have been highs and moments of hope when it looked like the team was on the cusp of greatness, but those highs have been short-lived, followed by rapid declines.
The last two years are a clear example: the Canucks went from a team that was a win away from the Western Conference Final to one that missed the playoffs last season and appears destined to do the same this year. Those falls aren’t all that common (although the Rangers are living through a familiar descent) and are generally the result of self-inflicted missteps or a run of terrible luck.
In Vancouver’s case, it appears to be a mix of both, but there is no doubt that the J.T. Miller/Pettersson rift did irreparable damage that could have long-standing effects on Vancouver’s locker room.
Miller’s departure should have signaled the Canucks’ direction. Still, a quick trade for defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor then implied that Vancouver intended to compete for a playoff spot last season, and the subsequent re-signing of both players certainly reinforced that notion.
Internal and external pressures aside, the trade to bring in Pettersson and O’Connor added to the Canucks’ depth, and they shed some bad contracts (Danton Heinen and Vincent Desharnais) in the deal with Pittsburgh. But the trades showed a lack of direction for Vancouver, and that carried into last year’s trade deadline as well as the summer, when the Canucks showed a lack of forward thinking. All of that leads us to this season, where Vancouver has spun its wheels despite rostering an ageing, expensive core.
The Miller trade to the Rangers had to happen, and while the return wasn’t great, it wasn’t awful either, as Miller has struggled to regain his form in the Big Apple. But the moves that followed the trade felt reactionary and forced, and ultimately proved in vain.
Pettersson was a top-pairing defender in Pittsburgh, but this season with the Canucks has been perhaps the worst of his career. The 29-year-old looks to be a shell of his former self and, like many players in Vancouver, has been terrible.
O’Connor has been fine in Vancouver, tallying 10 goals and seven assists in 47 games thus far while continuing to use his speed and size to be disruptive on the forecheck. That move, while tainted by Pettersson’s play this year, made sense at the time, but as the Canucks approached the trade deadline, some of management’s decision-making left a lot to be desired.
There was a moment after the Miller trade when the Canucks could have pivoted to a quick retool that might have been tough to stomach for the rest of last year and this season, but it would likely have yielded results next season. Instead, the Canucks did what they did, extended both Pettersson and O’Connor, and inked backup goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a deal that pays him $4.5MM per season for five years. All of it was reactionary, in the hope of getting the Canucks into the postseason last year. They didn’t.
The Canucks also tried to trade Brock Boeser last year at the deadline, but weren’t able to come to terms on a deal. It seemed all but certain he would bolt elsewhere in free agency last summer, but there he was on July 1, surprisingly signing a seven-year agreement with Vancouver that appears set to age like milk.
The Canucks added to their forward depth in another move, acquiring Evander Kane via trade from Edmonton. It was an acceptable deal in a vacuum; however, given Vancouver’s overall roster construction, it was a head-scratcher, as the Canucks used much of their cap space to fix the wing while watching their already thin center position get worse when Pius Suter departed in free agency.
Vancouver spent the rest of the summer making small roster changes in hopes that the core would find its mojo again. Still, a few months into the season, it was clear that wasn’t going to happen, which sparked trade rumours for their star defenseman, Quinn Hughes, whom they eventually dealt to Minnesota towards the end of 2025. The Hughes deal was actually a great haul for Vancouver given the circumstances, but it has officially put them into a hybrid retool that probably should’ve happened a year ago.
Hindsight is 20/20, but had Vancouver pivoted in early 2025 after trading Miller, they might have avoided some of the mistakes they’ve made over the past year, which have effectively set them back a few years. Instead, Vancouver is locked into long-term deals with underperforming forwards, a talented yet expensive goalie tandem that has injury and inconsistency issues, and a defense core that is now average at best.
Sure, they do have some nice young players who will likely become NHLers, but they will be surrounded by an old, pricey core unless the Canucks can start moving out from under some of the contracts they’ve locked in. No one is taking Boeser’s deal this year; the same could probably be said for Elias Pettersson’s.
But Vancouver could move their pending UFAs before the trade deadline and have nearly $17MM in cap space next summer to sign just two roster players (as per PuckPedia). That type of wiggle room could allow for additions before next season, but it’s not clear whether Vancouver should do that in the midst of what appears to be either a retool or a rebuild.
Patience might be the best thing for the president of hockey ops, Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin to exercise, but given their track records, that has not been their strong suit, and it is a big part of the reason the Canucks find themselves where they are.
Canucks Willing To Listen On Elias Pettersson
As the Vancouver Canucks continue to ponder seismic, franchise-altering changes, significant attention has been paid to the possibility of the club moving on from top center Elias Pettersson. TSN’s Darren Dreger spoke on that possibility on today’s Insider Trading segment, saying “the Vancouver Canucks are listening and will listen to interest in Pettersson.” Dreger also noted that the Canucks firmly believe that Pettersson will thrive if he ends up receiving a new opportunity and fresh start elsewhere.
This current Canucks management group, led by veteran executive Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin, is not shy about making franchise-altering deals. They traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild earlier this season, for example. But it’s worth noting that Hughes’ trade was, on some levels, quite a bit more straightforward than a potential Pettersson trade.
Hughes is widely considered one of the game’s best players, and he had communicated, in no uncertain terms, that he was not prepared to commit to signing an extension in Vancouver. As a result, trading Hughes became a foregone conclusion for the franchise.The Canucks were able to shift their focus to figuring out the best way to maximize their return in a Hughes deal, rather than trying to decide whether or not to trade Hughes in the first place.
Pettersson’s situation is quite a bit more complicated. First and foremost, the full no-move clause on his $11.6MM AAV deal gives the player and his representatives (led by CAA’s Pat Brisson) full control over where he is dealt to. Pettersson needs to sign off on any trade before it can be completed. Dreger reported today that the Canucks have yet to communicate with Brisson regarding specific trade possibilities.
Pettersson could very well be receptive to a whole host of trade possibilities, so the more significant complicating factor is how exactly to properly value Pettersson in a trade. Hughes’ situation was, as mentioned, far more straightforward straightforward.
He is one of the NHL’s best players and a massive offer containing high-end young talent would be necessary to acquire him. But in Pettersson’s case, he has a few competing factors clouding where his exact trade value might land.
On one hand, Pettersson seems like a hugely valuable trade asset. He’s just 27 years old, and under contract through the 2031-32 season. He also has a 102-point season on his résumé, and managed 89 points as recently as 2023-24. He’s looked like an elite No. 1 center in some years, and at worst has played like a second-line pivot.
The center market is, at the moment, defined by its scarcity. When the Philadelphia Flyers signed Christian Dvorak recently to a five-year contract extension, GM Danny Briere cited the state of the center market, and the difficulty of acquiring centers, is part of the reason why he decided to push forward with the deal.
That environment could be one the Canucks are able to leverage to gain a significant return in any Pettersson deal. Put simply: centers in their prime who have scored at a point-per-game rate simply don’t become available very often. Even with his faults, Pettersson is likely to be a coveted trade asset.
There are some headwinds, of course, complicating Pettersson’s value on the market. Like Jack Eichel before him, Pettersson as a trade target carries a notable degree of risk. For Eichel, the risk largely lay in his uncertain medical situation. For Pettersson, the uncertainty and risk is largely of an on-ice variety. Pettersson hasn’t looked like the same player over the last season and a half, and his diminished level of production reflects that.
Despite scoring at a far lower rate than the best years of his career (he’s at 28 points in 38 games this season, and scored 45 points in 64 games last year), Pettersson’s salary still reflects his early-career promise. He’s set to make $11.6MM against the cap through 2031-32. While the cap is rising and it’s a less weighty commitment than it would have been a few years ago, $11.6MM is still an enormous cap hit. A team that is interested in acquiring Pettersson runs the risk of significant financial inefficiency down the middle should Pettersson be unable to return to his prior levels of play.
To be clear, the team control afforded by Pettersson’s contract also gives the acquiring team a significant amount of potential upside with a deal. They could get a top center they don’t have to worry about re-signing for the rest of the decade and beyond. That’s an extraordinarily valuable thing for an NHL team, something that can anchor a contending lineup. But that team control also brings with it a significant amount of risk in the event Pettersson isn’t able to excel in his new environment.
Regardless of those risk factors, it still seems overwhelmingly likely that a laundry list of teams will be interested in acquiring Pettersson. He’s simply too talented, and centers of his caliber are simply too rare. It also doesn’t hurt the Canucks’ efforts that teams have found success in similar deals in the past few years, most notably including the Flyers’ recent rehabilitation of Trevor Zegras or the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup win soon after acquiring Eichel.
But even though Pettersson will likely still command a fair amount of interest, his deal won’t be a simple one to complete. His situation in Vancouver is emerging as one of this season’s most intriguing storylines to watch.
Photos courtesy of Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Canucks To Activate Elias Pettersson Off Injured Reserve
The Canucks will get some much-welcomed help down the middle tonight against San Jose. Speaking with reporters after practice today (Twitter link), center Elias Pettersson confirmed that he will make his return to the lineup.
Pettersson, who has missed the last eight games with an upper-body injury, is currently on injured reserve. However, Vancouver has an open roster spot available so they won’t need to make any moves to bring their top pivot back onto the roster.
The initial hope was that Pettersson wouldn’t be out that long but instead, he wound up missing three weeks with the injury, one that was causing a lot of pain when shooting the puck. Despite missing their top center, Vancouver wound up winning five of the eight games he missed, including four of their last five following the Quinn Hughes trade.
In the second season of an eight-year, $92.8MM deal, Pettersson hasn’t been able to live up to the price tag in terms of his production. While he’s on pace to put up more points than the 45 he did in 64 games last season, the 27-year-old has eight goals and 14 assists through 28 games this season. He’s averaging a career-high 20:37 per game of ice time while taking a regular turn on both special teams units.
While Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin spoke about entering a hybrid rebuilding phase, their recent run in the standings has them only six points out of a playoff spot. Getting Pettersson back should only help them so if the team continues its recent hot streak, they may not wind up being as much of a seller as initially thought.
Pacific Notes: Kuemper, Pettersson, Ohgren
Earlier today Zach Dooley, Manager of Editorial Content for the Kings, shared that Darcy Kuemper returned to practice and faced shots, working 1-on-1 with the team’s goaltender coach.
Los Angeles’ #1 netminder landed on injured reserve six days ago, after exiting mid-game with an apparent head injury, as Stars forward Mikko Rantanen fought to create a screen, and they collided. In the meantime, veteran Anton Forsberg has held things down, including a great performance in a win over Tampa Bay, and one loss to Florida. Phoenix Copley, once a Kings full-timer, was called up from the AHL but has yet to see action. Forsberg, 33, is a serviceable backup who had success at times over the past few seasons in Ottawa, but is still working to reach expectations from his two year deal worth $2.25MM inked over the summer with the silver and black.
Kuemper, now 35, has been a tremendous fit with the Kings. Originally a sixth-round pick, and eventually a Stanley Cup Champion, the Saskatoon native has been a model of determination throughout many highs and lows in his career. He has a .917 save percentage on the season, ranking among the league’s best. Thankfully, it appears Kuemper is gearing up for a return soon.
Elsewhere across the division:
- Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote told reporters, including Thomas Drance of The Athletic, that Elias Pettersson (center) had a setback from his upper-body injury and his return will be delayed past Christmas, if not slightly longer. The Swede has been out since early December, now eight games. During that timeline major changes have come to the organization, and with 22 points in 28 games, the club will be eager to welcome back their star and try to continue stringing together wins in their new era of sorts.
- Also in Canucks news, The Athletic’s Thomas Drance published an article on the team’s surge post-Hughes trade, focusing on things that have stood out, including Liam Ohgren’s play. Although the Canucks fell to the Flyers tonight, they had won four games in a row previously. Many had written them off, and the team appeared dead in the water, without their franchise star, no less. With all the rumors out of the way, and three young but immediate contributors coming over, it has brought fresh air to the group. Ohgren, a former first round pick, appeared to be more of a “throw in” that might end up in the AHL to try and find his game. The 21-year-old had no points in 18 games with the Wild. Instead, Ohgren has turned the page as a Canuck, with three points in five games, enough to be an instant middle-six contributor with untapped potential.
Vancouver Canucks Activate Marco Rossi
The Vancouver Canucks announced this morning that center Marco Rossi has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the club placed center Elias Pettersson on IR, retroactive to Dec. 5.
Rossi has not played since Nov. 11, when his former team, the Minnesota Wild, took on the San Jose Sharks. The Austrian center, who turned 24 in September, was a major piece of the return package the Canucks received as part of Friday’s stunning Quinn Hughes trade.
He had scored 13 points in 17 games before suffering a lower-body injury against the Sharks. Rossi participated in Canucks practice yesterday in Newark, and now appears poised to dress for the team’s matinee contest today against the New Jersey Devils.
It seems Rossi will begin his time as a Canuck playing a major role in head coach Adam Foote’s lineup. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance indicated yesterday that Rossi will begin his tenure as the Canucks’ first-line center, skating in between veteran wingers Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser. That’s not a role he is entirely unfamiliar with, as he was tested in a similar role at times during his tenure with the Wild.
For much of their existence as a franchise, the Wild have struggled to source top-six offensive centers, pivots capable of scoring at a high rate. While that specific type of player is notoriously difficult for NHL teams to acquire, Rossi has joined a team with one such player already on the roster.
Pettersson, who scored 102 points in 2022-23, has been the key center in Vancouver since winning the Calder trophy in 2018-19. Pettersson has been out since Dec. 5 with an upper-body injury, and has missed three games so far.
When everyone is healthy and playing at their best, the addition of Rossi gives the Canucks an enviable level of depth down the middle. With Pettersson as the first-line center, Rossi anchoring the second line, and Filip Chytil running the third line, the Canucks have a trio of first-round picks at center to form the backbone of its forward corps.
But unfortunately for the Canucks, injuries and inconsistency have clouded that picture considerably. Pettersson hasn’t looked like the Pettersson that scored 102 points and emerged as one of the game’s dominant young centers for more than a year now. Chytil, despite his evident talent, has struggled with persistent injury issues and is once again sidelined with an upper-body injury.
That leaves Rossi, at the moment, the only pivot of that trio healthy and set to play for the Canucks. As the club continues to push forward in its rebuilding process, the health and performance of its three key young centers (as well as the continued growth of 23-year-old Aatu Raty) will be a key story line to track in Vancouver.
Elias Pettersson Out, Marco Rossi Could Make Canucks Debut
The whirlwind around the Vancouver Canucks will continue into Sunday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Vancouver will be without their star forward Elias Pettersson, but could return Marco Rossi back from injury, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Rossi has missed over a month of action with a lower-body injury. He has been considered as day-to-day over the last week and could now get the chance to make his Canucks debut in the first possible opportunity.
Rossi should be a major addition to a Vancouver side that’s struggled to fill their top-center role all season long. He scored 13 points in 17 games with the Wild to start the season, and is coming off a career year with 24 goals and 60 points last season. He was a fringe top-line center to start the year, rotating with Joel Eriksson Ek for minutes. That’s a standing he earned in the latter half of last season, when injuries to Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman pushed Rossi into a premier role. He hung onto it, despite a playoff series with minimal usage, and now has a chance to grow into a much larger role for Vancouver. The 24 year old scored 49 goals and 114 points in 202 games, and five seasons, in Minnesota.
Even with that production, Rossi could face an immediate challenge stepping in for Pettersson, who hasn’t played in over a week due to an upper-body injury. Pettersson has continued to serve as Vancouver’s top forward. He led the offense in average ice time (20:37) prior to injury and continues to lead the forwards in points (22). Vancouver has struggled in his absence, with only six goals in their last three games – tied for third-worst in the league over the last week.
With a return from injury and recent move weighing him down, Rossi likely won’t be the one to relight Vancouver’s offense out of the gates. His return will be a great indication of what Vancouver will have to offer on the heels of a historic trade. They acquired three young and promising pros and could slot two of them – Rossi and defenseman Zeev Buium – into top-line roles right away. How they’re able to perform under the pressure of a losing season could go far in forecasting Vancouver’s next era, now shaped around three former Minnesota Wild, Pettersson, and inevitably high draft capital.
Snapshots: Jarnkrok, Pettersson, Carlson
With consistent playing time being hard to come by for Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him consider other options in July when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Earlier today, a report from Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson suggested that the veteran was likely to return to the SHL next season and sign with Brynas. However, his agent, Newport’s Filip Andreason, announced (Twitter link) that there have been no discussions with any team in any league for the 2026-27 campaign. Jarnkrok has been limited to just 19 games with Toronto so far this season and has only four points, all goals. He carries a $2.1MM cap charge which has hindered their efforts to try to find him a fresh start elsewhere. He’ll get that fresh start in the summer but his plans for next season remain unsettled.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Canucks center Elias Pettersson skated on his own before practice today but didn’t take part in team drills and is unlikely to return from his upper-body injury on Thursday against Buffalo, notes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. However, he is expected to accompany the team on their upcoming five-game road trip with an eye on returning at some point on that trip. The 27-year-old has been a bit more productive relative to last season but is still underachieving offensively with six goals and 14 assists through 28 games which is still good for a share of the team lead in scoring. He joins Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger as injured centers, putting Vancouver in a tough spot when it comes to filling out their lineup.
- Capitals defenseman John Carlson has missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury sustained last Tuesday. However, it appears that the games missed count won’t go any higher. Sammi Silber of The Hockey News relays that the veteran was a full participant at practice today on the top pairing which suggests he could be cleared to suit up Thursday against Carolina. In his 17th season, all in Washington, Carlson has been quite productive so far in 2025-26, tallying six goals and 17 assists in 26 games while averaging nearly 23 minutes per game of playing time.
West Notes: Danault, Pettersson, Rossi
Yesterday evening, Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli reported that “trade chatter is picking up” around Los Angeles Kings pivot Phillip Danault. According to Seravalli, “multiple teams have inquired with LA on his availability,” and Danault could be one of the top centers available on the trade market, assuming the Kings have an appetite to deal him.
Danault, 32, has been one of the league’s more well-regarded defensive centers over the last half-decade or more. He finished seventh in Selke Trophy voting in 2018-19, beginning a streak of five consecutive years where he received votes as the league’s top defensive forward. While he has generally been a consistent offensive presence as a King, good for about 40 to 50 points of production, points have eluded him in 2025-26. Danault has just five points through 28 games this season, and has yet to register a goal.
At 32 years old, it’d be fair to be concerned that Danault’s offensive decline early in the season could be less a cold streak and more a signal of actual age-related decline. Complicating things further is the fact that Danault is under contract for another year at a $5.5MM cap hit, and owns a 10-team no-trade list per the terms of his contract. But if teams view Danault’s decline in production as more of a poor stretch than a sign of more permanent decline, then it’d be understandable that Danault would receive robust interest on the trade market.
Other notes from the Pacific Division:
- Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote told the media last night, including The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, that center Elias Pettersson is dealing with an injury and is still being evaluated. Foote added that Pettersson will undergo further testing on Sunday, including an MRI. If the Canucks lose Pettersson for any period of time, their chances of winning games would be dealt a significant blow. For as much criticism as Pettersson has received over the last year, he’s upped his production to start 2025-26. He’s scored 22 points in 28 games this season, and while that’s not at the standard he set when he was a 102-point player in 2022-23, it is an improvement in scoring pace over last season.
- On Thursday, we covered news coming out of Minnesota that Wild center Marco Rossi‘s injury recovery was progressing at a slower rate than was initially expected. Today, The Athletic’s Joe Smith relayed word from Wild head coach John Hynes, who said that he still considers Rossi at this point to be out on a week-to-week basis. Rossi has been out since Nov. 11 and has 13 points in 17 games played in 2025-26.
Snapshots: Elias Pettersson, Goalie Rankings, Contract Efficiency
After a less-than-stellar season last year, Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson is out for “revenge” this upcoming season. Speaking with NHL.com’s Peter Ekholm, Pettersson appears to be on a mission after producing just 15 goals and 45 points last season.
“I know what I’m capable of. Actually, I haven’t thought about it, but for myself it’s revenge. I’m not happy with last season,” he said.
Pettersson, 26, produced nearly half as many points as he did in the 2023–24 season, when he recorded 34 goals and 89 points. After posting three consecutive 30-goal seasons, Pettersson fought through injuries last year, which resulted in him appearing in just 65 games. To address this, Pettersson said he has added muscle to his listed 176-pound frame, noting that the added strength will not only help keep him healthy but also make him faster.
“It’s always about building your base strength, to get quicker on the ice. To gain a few pounds, get stronger in general, that’s always the goal. But for me it’s a bonus to gain a few pounds,” he said.
Elsewhere around the league:
- As a part of a summer Talent Tiers series, TSN’s Travis Yost examined the league’s goaltending depth charts and ranked all 32 teams into five categories, from Tier 1 through Tier 5. Only three teams were included in Yost’s top tier: the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Winnipeg Jets. The Islanders were added to the top tier thanks to the combination of veterans Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, while the division rival Rangers made it thanks to former Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin and veteran backup Jonathan Quick. For Winnipeg, the play of Connor Hellebuyck — and his three Vezina Trophies — is enough to lift the team into Tier 1. On the other hand, four teams were placed in Yost’s Tier 5: the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
- The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn recently took a look at every player’s market value over the remainder of their contracts to determine which team is spending money the most efficiently. In his view, three teams earned an “A+” rating in this category: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Colorado Avalanche. Notably, the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers rank fourth in Luszczyszyn’s latest rankings, while the Edmonton Oilers dropped from second last year to eighth this season. On the flip side of the coin, three teams achieved a league-low “D+” rating: the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, and Seattle Kraken.
Pacific Notes: Elias Pettersson, Marner, Eklund
While the trade rumors don’t seem to subside related to the Vancouver Canucks’ forward Elias Pettersson, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun doesn’t believe the star forward will be dealt.
Rumors surrounding Petterson have been circulating since the trade deadline. At that time, the team was struggling, and Pettersson and J.T. Miller were at the forefront of trade speculation. While Miller was eventually dealt to the New York Rangers, Pettersson remained with the franchise that drafted him fifth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. Despite a difficult 2024-25 season, Pettersson is still just 26 years old and already has five seasons with 27 or more goals to his name, and is two seasons removed from a 102-point campaign.
If the team does intend to move Petterson, they’ll have to do so before his full no-move clause kicks in July 1.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- The Athletic’s Chris Johnston noted on TSN 1050 that he believes the San Jose Sharks will make a run at pending free agent star Mitch Marner. While the Sharks have more than enough cap space to make the signing, with over $40 million available according to PuckPedia, and boast young talent like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, Johnston noted that he doesn’t view San Jose as a great fit for Marner. As Johnston said, “I would be surprised if he went to a place coming off a rebuild. I think he’s going to go to one of the better teams in the league.”
- Sharks GM Mike Grier said he is not focused on signing winger William Eklund to an extension and is instead concerned with Eklund’s health above all else, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Eklund is eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1st, and Grier previously seemed committed to getting a deal done, noting that he had met with Eklund’s agent to get an early sense of what the asking price might be. Eklund took his game to the next level last season, posting career highs in goals (17), assists (41), and points (58). However, at the World Championships, he was involved in a scary incident when he was cut on the wrist by a skate. Although he was reported to be in stable condition afterward, the long-term effects remain uncertain.