The Philadephia Flyers' nightmare start to the season is only continuing to get worse.
The Flyers lost their most recent game to the Seattle Kraken in a shootout, 3-2. As a result, the Flyers are now winless in their first eight games of the season. After reaching the second round of the playoffs last spring, this kind of start has been incredibly deflating.
With the Flyers struggling so immensely, they should strongly consider browsing the trade market for help. Their biggest need is a high-impact center, and the Vancouver Canucks have an intriguing one in Elias Pettersson.
After having back-to-back down years for the Canucks, Pettersson is having a very strong start to the 2026-27 campaign. In eight games so far this season, he has posted two goals, nine points, and 27 hits. This impressive start to the campaign should grab the attention of the Flyers.
Pettersson could be a major pickup for the Flyers' forward group
If Pettersson keeps this kind of play up as the season rolls on, it would make a lot of sense for the Flyers to target him. They need a first-line center badly, and Pettersson is showing signs of his previous form. So, Philadelphia should be watching as the campaign continues.
Pettersson's last elite season was in 2023-24 with the Canucks, when he posted 34 goals and 89 points in 82 games. This was after he had 39 goals and 102 points in 80 games for the Canucks during the 2022-23. These kinds of past offensive totals only make him a more interesting player for Philadelphia to consider.
Thus, Pettersson is a player who the Flyers should have on their radar right now. If he continues to be a point-per-game player later into the season, the Flyers should strongly consider making a bold move for him.
Trading for Pettersson would be very risky for the Flyers, though
While Pettersson is showing signs of having a bounce-back season early on in 2026-27, trading for him would still be very risky for the Flyers.
Pettersson had two tough seasons for Vancouver before this season. In 74 games last season with the Canucks, he had 15 goals and 51 points. This was after he had 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games for Vancouver in 2024-25. These are not necessarily bad numbers, but they are underwhelming when noting that he has an $11.6 million cap hit through the 2031-32 season.
Thus, if the Flyers acquired Pettersson and he struggled again, it could be a move that they regret. However, if the Flyers brought in Pettersson and he became a 100-point player again, he could finally give them a solution to their first-line center problem.
Add us as a preferred source on Google