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

The Vancouver Canucks signed Elias Pettersson to an eight-year, $92.8 million contract extension in March, ensuring he wouldn’t hit restricted free agency and committing to the 26-year-old as a core piece for the future. Less than a year later, Pettersson is at the center of NHL rumors ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.

With less than 40 days to go until the NHL trade deadline, the expectation is that talks will begin heating up in the coming weeks and the Vancouver Canucks will likely be in the thick of things.

The Buffalo Sabres have emerged as leading contenders to land Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson in a trade partnership nobody saw coming. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, reporting the news during Sportsnet's "Saturday Headlines" segment, the Sabres are a serious contender to get Pettersson.

Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks could make a blockbuster trade including Dylan Cozens and Elias Pettersson, according to insider reports

But with discussions for Miller not seemingly going well, it appears that teams are still calling about Pettersson.

As of late last week the Vancouver Canucks haven’t really been impressed with the trade offers they been receiving for forward J.T. Miller, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if there is more Elias Pettersson trade speculation.

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

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed during Sportsnet's "Saturday Headlines" segment that the Canucks were in fact 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.

If rumors are true and the Vancouver Canucks are interested in trading star Elias Pettersson, Adam Proteau says the Buffalo Sabres' reported pursuit of the Canucks center is a good idea.

Just a handful of days after Flyers’ general manager Daniel Briere said, “The reality is, there’s not a lot of high-end centermen in this league. And teams have them, they want to keep them, or the price is crazy,