Elias Pettersson is willing to wait before signing his new contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks forward spoke with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman while on the NHL European media tour about the importance of his next deal and why he isn’t in a rush to put pen to paper, despite being eligible to sign an extension.
“I got one more year left over there. And I don’t want to rush into anything because I still don’t know myself if it’s going to be a short- or long-term (contract),” Pettersson told Friedman. “It’s going to be probably my biggest contract so far. So I don’t want to stress anything.”
The 24-year-old had 39 goals and 102 points in 80 games last season for the Canucks. He is heading into the final season of a three-year, $22-million contract that he signed back in 2021.
Coming off a career-best season, Pettersson’s focus this off-season has been getting off to a good start this season.
“The whole summer, I’ve been trying to prepare myself as much as possible with training, trying to gain a little bit of weight and add some muscle,” Pettersson said.
The next deal Petterson signs will be crucial for the Canucks as the centre is due for a significant raise on his current $7.35-million cap hit, given his production last season.