T here has been a lot of noise surrounding Elias Pettersson this season. The Vancouver Canucks center is underperforming based on his contract, has been involved in trade rumours

Unfortunately for Pettersson, and the Canucks who have built up a ton of positive momentum, it’ll be quite some time before they play their next NHL game. The league is entering the 4 Nations Face-Off break, and Pettersson will represent Sweden at the event, which will be held in Montreal and Boston. The Canucks’ next game isn’t until February 22.

Canucks management's next steps with their star centers are crucial in the wake of Friday's three-team blockbuster.

The past few months have been full of drama in Vancouver, and now that J.T. Miller has officially been traded, the hope is that things will cool down.

Boeser has had the most success of his Canucks tenure when riding shotgun with Miller. Miller’s playmaking ability down low was an excellent fit with Boeser’s finishing ability from the inner slot. With Miller gone, the risk and uncertainty around committing a six- or seven-year contract to Boeser increases.

Are the Vancouver Canucks on the verge of trading away yet another star forward in season? Where there’s smoke there’s fire is how the old saying goes and, although no one can spot a fire just yet, there does appear to be an ever increasing amount of smoke around Vancouver Canucks star forward Elias Pettersson.