Vancouver Canucks’ $11.6 million man, Elias Pettersson had a rather quiet night on January 25. In a match that saw his teammate and goalie, Kevin Lankinen make 32 saves to stifle the Capitals’ firepower and end their six-game winning streak, the Swede’s two shots on goal were not really a headline-grabber. Yet, the forward’s name made it to NHL history books – albeit for a strange feat.

Are you familiar with the Spiderman meme where two people in identical Spiderman costumes point fingers at each other? Well, Elias Pettersson had a bit of a Spiderman moment when he hit the ice for the Canucks vs. Capitals game. However, unlike the meme, where one Spiderman is actually a villain impersonating the hero, there was no impersonation here—and certainly no villain. I’m, of course, talking about the Canucks’ defenseman, Elias Pettersson. And it so happened that the forward and the defender hit the ice for the first time together against the Capitals on Saturday.

To commemorate the moment, the NHL took to Instagram, posting a picture of the two with the caption, “Two Elias Petterssons?! Yep.” But that wasn’t all. The image also included a quirky piece of history: “ELIAS PETTERSSON AND ELIAS PETTERSSON ARE THE SECOND SET OF PLAYERS IN NHL HISTORY WITH THE SAME NAME TO PLAY FOR THE SAME TEAM IN THE SAME GAME.” When the Canucks initially announced the defenseman’s signing as the 80th overall pick in 2022 with a side-by-side photo of the two, the older Pettersson humorously commented, “We need another nickname,” joining in on the fun.

Well, while the two names are spelled the same way, they are not exactly pronounced the same. While the older Elias pronounces his name as uh-Lee-uss, the defenseman’s name is pronounced uh-Lye-uss. Moreover, the 20-year-old rearguard has more to him than a famous name. In fact, his performance with the performance with the Abbotsford Canucks got him to be their representative at the upcoming AHL All-Star Classic.

But what about the first time two players with the same name played for the same team in the same match? That happened back in the 1988-89 season when Greg Adams and Greg Adams played for…the Canucks. I sense a pattern here. But to think that the only reason fans got to witness this rather strange bit of history being repeated was a transfer that fell through!

While the Carolina Hurricanes got involved in a huge three-team deal that saw them sign the Blackhawks’ Taylor Hall and Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen, reports suggest that they initially had Canucks’ forwards Pettersson and J.T. Miller in mind. That deal, of course, did not happen. However, there is little chance that fans will get to see the Pettersson-Pettersson duo take to the ice for much longer.

Well, it seems that the Canucks are still waiting for the right deal to offload both Miller and Pettersson who, for undisclosed reasons, don’t seem to get along. The chances of exit, however, are greater for Pettersson. Granted the New York Rangers were in pursuit of J.T. Miller, but the Canucks’ seemingly backed off. Now, while the Rangers are still pretty much in the picture, the Canucks don’t seem to be satisfied with the numbers on the table.

That makes Pettersson the preferred choice for a trade, and his $11.6 million contract doesn’t do much for his chances with the Canucks. Moreover, Pettersson’s numbers, while not bad, are not as good as Miller’s either. The Swedish forward had campaigns of 68, 102, and 89 points compared to Miller’s 99,82, and 100. But with a blockbuster deal already falling through is there a team that would want to take Pettersson off the Canucks’ hands?

Elias Pettersson may be on the radar of another team

While, earlier in the month, Canucks’ GM Patrick Allvin might have indicated that Pettersson was going nowhere, the recent rumor mill surrounding Pettersson tells a different story. According to renowned journalist Elliotte Friedman, the Buffalo Sabres may be interested in Elias Pettersson. On January 25, Friedman said, “There was a time yesterday I thought Pettersson was going to be a Carolina Hurricane. Obviously, it didn’t happen, I think those talks continue. I believe that one of the teams that has really shown a lot of interest is Buffalo. There are others but the Sabres are definitely in there.” Well, that’s quite the development. Add to that the mix the Buffalo forward Dylan Cozens and there might just be a deal!

Although Dylan Cozen hasn’t really been as good as he was during the 2022-23 season when he scored 31 goals and 68 points, a lot of teams have shown interest in the forward. Moreover, his arrival for Pettersson could mean an end to the feud of the forwards in the Canucks camp. What’s more? Well, the Canucks are also looking for names to strengthen the back-line, and Buffalo’s blue liner Bowen Bryam could be a good fit. All in all, it seems like Pettersson’s exit seems like a matter of time. What do you think? Will Pettersson mend his relationship with Miller and give us more Petey and re-Petey moments, or will he look for a fresh start elsewhere? Let us know in the comments.