The dust is still settling around the NHL following a massive blockbuster deal between the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported that the Buffalo Sabres have emerged as trade contenders to acquire Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed during Sportsnet's "Saturday Headlines" segment that the Canucks were in fact so close to trading star forward Elias Pettersson to the Hurricanes. “There was a time (Friday) I thought that Pettersson was going to be a Carolina Hurricane,” Friedman said. “Obviously, it didn’t happen.

One day removed from the blockbuster three-team trade that shook the NHL on Friday night and saw star winger Mikko Rantanen sent from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had some new details to drop during his Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada.

WIth drama continuing to build, the Vancouver Canucks may pivot back to Elias Pettersson as the key trade piece.

Typically, when an NHL team has the luxury of counting on two 100-point players in its lineup, things go the right way. In Vancouver, the opposite is happening right now. The situation surrounding Elias Pettersson and J.