The cloud that has hung over the first day of the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp could be clearing soon.
After a summer of little movement and much anxiety, negotiations between the Canucks and their pair of young RFAs, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson are expected to pick up in the coming days, according to The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy.
It’s the only logical course of action, really.
Both players are in for exorbitant raises on their impending new deals, having each emerged as vital pillars to the Canucks’ on-ice success, both now and in the future.
Without Highes and Pettersson, the Canucks are a lottery team in the most generous sense of the term. Even in a supposed “down year”, Hughes still thrived by putting up a remarkable 41 points in 56 games in 2021 to finish top-10 in NHL scoring among defensemen. Pettersson, on the other hand, was impressive in his own right, scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace with 21 points in 26 games despite missing over half the season due to injury.
With the regular season fast approaching and no deal in sight, news that negotiations will reach a new level can only come as a relief to Canucks fans.
Alas, the saga continues.