Looking Ahead

Every Canuck fan

"Petterson is a top 5 centre!"

Pays him like he's not even top 10

"Hughes is the best defenceman in the league"

This contract

Dreaming!

Hughes will at least be a top 20 defenseman and Petey will be a top 10 centreman if not Top 5 centreman. Sure, they’re having slow starts to the season but they’ll improve. Right? Petey was on pace for 80+ points last season if a full season was played if COVID didn’t have an impact on the season, so I am not dreaming when it comes to these contracts. Vancouver also has other cap issues from overpaying their players to ridiculous amounts of money, and that would appear to come to an end pretty soon with Eriksson’s contract ending the year after with the Canucks making no attempt to resign him.

My point is they both are getting paid. And it will be big money.

Yes, and if there’s gonna be a flat cap again next season, they’re gonna have to work around that. They’ll get more when the cap rises and those RFA contracts expire. Then again, this is VERY EARLY into the season. If you look at Patrik Laine, he regressed near the end of his third season and he got a bridge deal the year after. Look at Mathew Barzal, he got a bridge deal and not at $11 million per year or whatever it was for eight years, he got $7 million for three years.

They will do short term bridges no doubt but both will end at or above 9-10 million depending on term. Meaning if it's 2 year deals the average will be lower but the last year will be around 9 mill and if its 3 it'll be at or higher 10 mill on the 3rd year which sets the qualifying offer at 9-10 million. I think Petterson will get more than Barzal