Sabres shows interest in Canucks’ Elias Pettersson

It is safe to say that trade rumors involving Vancouver Canucks do not disappear soon.

One day was removed from the Blockbuster-Three-team trade that shook the NHL on Friday night and saw the star wing Mikko Rantan sent from Colorado Avalanche to Carolina Hurricanes, SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman had some new details to fall during his Saturday cross-border segment on Hockey Night in Canada.

“There was a time yesterday when I thought (Elias) Pettersson would be a Carolina Orchan. Obviously, it didn’t happen,” Friedman said.

As Friedman wrote Friday night, before acquiring the Rantan from Colorado and Taylor Hall from Chicago Blackhawks, the hurricanes had discussed separate trades for Pettersson or JT Miller with Vancouver. Friedman added that he thought Martin Necas would have been involved in a Pettersson deal, but not a Miller.

Necas, of course, ended up being sent to Colorado with Jack Drury as part of the Exchange for the Rantan.

So with the hurricanes that are probably now out of the equation, there is a new team that will be the favorite to potentially land Pettersson – if Canucks actually acts him?

“I think these conversations continue and I think one of the teams that has really shown a lot of interest is Buffalo,” Friedman added on Saturday. “There are others, but the sabers are determined in there.”

This comes after Sabres and Canucks had been rumored to be in conversations earlier this season. Back in December Friedman talked about the two teams during a performance on Chek’s Donnie & Dhali Show and threw Bowen Byram and Dyan Cozens as two players that Canucks might be interested in.

“Do I think Canucks has spoken to Buffalo? Yes, I do. I think the sabrers have talked to Canucks? Yes, I do,” Friedman said. “I think that’s the exact combination they’ve talked about? No, I don’t know.”

Later he added, “I could see Vancouver be interested in these players and I could see Buffalo be interested in Pettersson.”