Insider Trading: Canucks continue gauging market on Pettersson, Miller

TSN’s Hockey Insiders have more on Vancouver’s star duo, Rick Tocchet’s contract situation, possible centre options for the Leafs, the Frank Vatrano contract, the IIHF’s WC proposal to the NHL and NHLPA and the latest on possible Russian Olympic participation.

Gino Reda: The NHL trade deadline is exactly two months from today, so let’s get at it. They are the Insiders, Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger. CJ, given how public the feud between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller has become, what are you hearing about one, or maybe even both of them being moved out of Vancouver before the deadline?

Johnston: Well, we don’t hear it as much as we’d like because there’s a pretty heightened sensitivity, I would say, Gino, around this situation, just given the magnitude of a trade potentially involving either of these players. And obviously the marketplace in Vancouver has been hot. But in speaking with sources around the league, what I can tell you is there’s a strong sense that trade conversations remain active on both Pettersson and Miller with rival teams at this point in time as Vancouver wants to gauge the marketplace and see what the value of the players are before making any further decisions on next steps. When it comes to Pettersson in particular, it seems as though the Canucks are serious about considering moving him. Multiple teams are believed to have shown interest, and a third party source points out that Carolina and Vancouver did have discussions on Pettersson last season, so that could be a logical landing place now. But multiple teams, as I mentioned, are interested, and there is much to consider for the Canucks.

LeBrun: In the meantime, let’s chat about Rick Tocchet. The Jack Adams Award winner last year as NHL Coach of the Year. His contract expires at the end of the season. Now, there is a team option for the Canucks on Rick Tocchet, but it’s an option where he has the right to decide whether or not he would sign. I’m not pointing all this out because I think there’s something going on. I’m just pointing it out as a fact that seems to have been glossed over in terms of his future and his contract. Now, it’s not the end of the world for a coach to be on an expiring deal. Rod Brind’Amour and Carolina went to the last minute last year before signing. But in the scope of everything we’ve seen this year and the drama in Vancouver, it’s certainly something worth filing away.

Reda: Hey, the good news for the Canucks, there should be a lot of interest in Pettersson. Like for instance the Maple Leafs are looking for help up the middle, Dregs?

Dreger: Yeah, but when you throw in Elias Pettersson there you’re looking at the high-rent district. I would say Pettersson, Miller, Mika Zibanejad, maybe Dylan Cozens, the Maple Leafs are not in that category. Brock Nelson is interesting from the New York Islanders. There are a lot of teams that have interest in him. So, I think the group that the Toronto Maple Leafs have identified as a little bit more diverse, I think you’re looking at Ryan Strome, maybe Ryan O’Reilly, how about a return there from Nashville? Scott Laughton is out there again, but the Flyers want a first-round draft pick in return, so maybe that’s a stretch. Mikael Granlund’s name is out there. Yanni Gourde. Nick Bjugstad. I’ll tell you this, Brad Treliving’s whiteboard is probably jammed with more affordable centres.

Reda: Frank Vatrano just signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Ducks but he actually gets $18 million over 10 years and not three. A great way for him to defer taxes, the Ducks love the average annual value because it’s lower, but how does the league feel about this, Pierre?

LeBrun: So, generally speaking the league is not a big fan of these deferred contracts. This is the fourth one we’ve had since last summer. But, the Ducks kept the league informed every step of the way in this negotiation with Frank Vatrano and his agent. They were okay in this particular case because they felt that the reasons for both sides to want to do this deal were legit in the league’s eyes. But generally speaking, the league can easily block a deal with deferred payments if they felt there was a circumvention of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. In this case, they felt there wasn’t. Here’s what I would also tell you – there happens to be a CBA negotiation starting next month with the National Hockey League Players’ Association. I think there’s a real chance the NHL decides to see if it closes the door on deferred payments in the next CBA. I’m not sure the NHLPA would object to it, either.

Reda: Alright, to international hockey. The World Junior Championship just wrapped up and the 4 Nations Face-Off is just over a month away and the Olympics are coming up next winter. And some interesting conversations happening around the next World Cup of Hockey are already underway, Dregs?

Dreger: Right. Well, I can tell you the NHL and NHLPA have been waiting for months for some type of proposal from the IIHF to partner with the next World Cup of Hockey, which is in 2028. Well, that proposal was received in late December. And multiple sources tell me it was just flat out unacceptable. Now, the focus remains on that World Cup in February of 2028. The IIHF says that an event in February is too disruptive. The NHL and NHLPA is stuck on that month. The NHL and the Players’ Association are expected to review the IIHF proposal next week but, look, keep in mind that the league and the Players’ Association are okay with hosting the 2028 World Cup of Hockey without the IIHF involved.

Johnston: A notable nugget dropped by IIHF president Luc Tardif at the end of the World Junior tournament when he spoke with reporters and said that the deadline to determine if Russia can participate in the 2026 Olympics is now next month. It originally was believed that that decision would come in May. And why it’s so significant is because the absolute first step before Russia can participate in international hockey again is ending the war in Ukraine. And that obviously does not geopolitically for the landscape to change. And so if Tardif holds to that deadline that he’s now said publicly, it seems very unlikely that we’ll see Russia in the next Olympics.