Quinn Hughes Grew Frustrated With Elias Pettersson In Recent Years

Quinn Hughes is no longer a Vancouver Canuck, and there were plenty of factors that led to that outcome. His desire to win played a role, as did the dysfunction that lingered within the organization in recent years. The chance to play alongside his brothers, Jack and Luke, was always going to be tempting, and as an American star, it’s also fair to wonder if the grind of a struggling team in a Canadian market had started to wear on him.

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All of it culminated in the superstar defenseman being traded to the Minnesota Wild. Whether or not Minnesota was his preferred destination, Hughes now finds himself on a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, surrounded by proven veterans and fellow star players with a clear, no-nonsense approach to winning, and far less drama.

Throughout the turbulence of the past two years in Vancouver, Elias Pettersson was the one constant alongside Hughes, and he played a significant role in ensuring that remained the case. However, after investing so much trust and support in the Swedish center, Patrick Johnston of The Province recently revealed that sources suggested Hughes grew increasingly frustrated with Pettersson’s work ethic and offseason preparation, which only added to his reluctance to commit long-term to the Canucks.

Johnston wrote:

“But beyond that, sources have said Hughes and Pettersson have generally just drifted apart. As important Hughes was in supporting his teammate last season, he still had grown frustrated with Pettersson’s work ethic… Pettersson being poor in his off-season preparation has been a frustration for teammates of his before, a player whose off-season efforts don’t truly match the high quality his natural talents bring. Too quick to rest on his talents, not a guy who worked hard enough to raise his game through physical preparation… Hughes, it would seem, was struggling to see a way forward here. Even after Pettersson did dial it up. Too little, too late it would seem,”

The 27-year-old Pettersson is in year two of the eight-year, $92.8 million extension he signed with the Canucks in 2024. He’s unfortunately been a shell of himself since putting pen to paper, producing well below a point-per-game over the past year and a half.

Does Elias Pettersson Have a Future in Vancouver?

J.T. Miller, Rick Tocchet, and, now, Hughes have all exited the organization over the last year, so it’s fair to wonder where that leaves Pettersson moving forward.

While the production doesn’t resemble the 102-point (39 goals, 63 assists) 2022-23 campaign that earned him $11.6 million annually on a long-term contract, Pettersson’s play so far in 2025-26 has been somewhat of a step forward.

Even so, he remains well short of living up to both the contract and his true ceiling, and with Jim Rutherford clearly opening the door to a rebuild, no one in Vancouver can truly be considered untouchable.

The post-Hughes Canucks have been rejuvenated and gone 4-0-0 since the blockbuster deal, something that Pettersson has notably not been a part of. There are plenty of obstacles at play when it comes to a possible trade, but at some point, it may be worth navigating them if it means giving both the player and the organization a clean slate.

Next: 5 Superstars Who Could Be Next to Move After Quinn Hughes Blockbuster