Elias Pettersson.. Playoff Ghost

[CanucksSayEh]

He's been bad 2 weeks prior to his contract. It's not just playoffs

2 weeks prior to his CURRENT contract.

Outside of his red hot 5v5 play last year, he's largely been shit for 4 seasons.

 

[CanadienShark]

$11.6 million

4 points. -2 in 11 games.

That's abysmal.

After spending the better part of a season + saying or suggesting how he only wants to play for a competitive team that wants to win I have to wonder if he even sees the hypocrisy regarding his play.

And before anyone says he plays with Mikheyev, Mikheyev was trending almost exactly like Hyman before Hyman went to Edmonton and look what happened with his playing with McDavid. He elevated his play the same way Crosby does/did every winger he played with.

Great players elevate the players beside them. We're absolutely not seeing that at all with Pettersson

He wants to play for a winner, not play like a winner.

 

[mdobbs]

His regular season point totals didn't reflect his play; he hasn't been good all season. He put up a ton of points earlier in the season when the Canucks went on their run of early season dominance, just from the nature of being on the ice at the same time as Hughes. He was a passenger for the majority of their games.

Carry that play over to the playoffs where you're only playing the best teams in the league, the checking is tighter and the pace is faster... and this is the result.

While this is somewhat true, he was dominant in Jan pre asb - he was the nhl’s 3rd star of the month in Jan

Something happened around the asb that absolutely tanked his performance for the rest of the season. He hasn’t recovered since then

 

[Siludin]

Lots of hot takes on a guy that is going to announce offseason surgery the second the playoffs are done.

 

[nowhereman]

I presume Tocchet spoke to Pettersson more than once before going public with this but on some level this isn't a great way for the coach and top player to get on the same page. Hard to imagine Pettersson suddenly lost a lot of his talent and stopped trying.

I'm sure he's tried to get through to Pettersson in a multitude of ways and felt this might be a last resort. Pettersson has been coddled by management, coaches and fans enough that tough love is all they have left. But Pettersson also strikes me as a guy who might further spiral with criticism.

Lots of hot takes on a guy that is going to announce offseason surgery the second the playoffs are done.

Even if he is injured, he doesn't seem to be labouring to the extent where his play should dip this much. And you also have to fight through this sort of stuff. Hell, Bergeron won a Cup with a hole in his lung.

 

[Scrantonicity 2]

For all the shit JT Miller got for so-called locker room issues in the past and the team nearly imploding... you have to wonder what it's like in that room right now when your highest paid player is mailing it in at the most important time of the year.

 

[Quinning]

Draisaitl has more points in four games than Pettersson has shots on goal.

That sums it up right there. Embarrassing statistic.

For all the shit JT Miller got for so-called locker room issues in the past and the team nearly imploding... you have to wonder what it's like in that room right now when your highest paid player is mailing it in at the most important time of the year.

Miller is probably livid at Pettersson right now. The guy held out for a bag and has 6 goals since the end of February. They are dragging him kicking and screaming, and they have a shot at the final four completely in spite of his play.

 

[Zanon]

He's a really poor playoff performer. Can tell he's rattled by the physical intensity, shades of Matthews/Marner. Canucks fans were mad at me for suggesting that Pettersson could struggle in his first real try at playoff hockey (2020 bubble doesn't count)

This has nothing to do with the playoffs. He was playing poorly months before the playoffs even started. In fact, I’d argue he hasn’t looked right all season.

I’m legitimately surprised the Canucks have gotten as far as they have without him doing much of anything offensively.

 

[thefutures]

He's a really poor playoff performer. Can tell he's rattled by the physical intensity, shades of Matthews/Marner. Canucks fans were mad at me for suggesting that Pettersson could struggle in his first real try at playoff hockey (2020 bubble doesn't count)

Wasn't this supposed to be a sweep? Had enough courage to return to main boards after a tied series eh! The cry babies are rubbing off on their fans

 

[Osakahaus]

EP40 isnt bad but my goodness his wings look AWFUL this season

 

[iFan]

How could he be injured? He hasn’t done anything for months. You get injured for playing hard, he’s not playing hard at all.

 

[Satire]

Not so bad, the entire Vegas team has been invisible since round 1.

In fairness a good chunk of the Vegas team is invisible during the regular season as well. At least until the trade deadline passes.

 

[crazychimp]

He’s been alright on the defensive side of things that’s why he’s still put out there. But injury or not he has to show something and get into the war. Draisitl is also injured so no excuse.

 

[notsocommonsense]

I presume Tocchet spoke to Pettersson more than once before going public with this but on some level this isn't a great way for the coach and top player to get on the same page. Hard to imagine Pettersson suddenly lost a lot of his talent and stopped trying.

Pettersen has been like this for months. I’m sure tocchet has been talking to him regularly. At some point, frustration is going to boil over. He’s been incredibly patient waiting for Petey to snap out of it.

 

[ViD]

His most consistent winger is Mikheyev. Edmonton could leave him unmarked and the worst he could do is a shot into the crest of the goalie. Even Skinner could stop all his shots!

Mikheyev is okay defensively but he's an offensive blackhole. For a visual representation, Mikheyev is like this:

View attachment 871111

If only Petey had a 40 goal scorer he was playing with last season

 

[sandwichbird2023]

2 weeks prior to his CURRENT contract.

Outside of his red hot 5v5 play last year, he's largely been shit for 4 seasons.

I think that might be a little bit exaggerated. He was good this season from October to roughly mid January. He also played through a wrist injury in 2020-21 before shutting it down iirc. Really only the 2021-22 season, and from this year's ASG to now, that he has played like crap without a valid reason.

It sucks that he is playing so bad when the team is actually in a position to go far in the playoff. If he plays at even at 80% of his potential, I feel like we win this series handily. I think people are just praying he is injured because it is hard to envision competing for the next 8 seasons if your $11.6m player is playing like a $2.5m 3rd liner. Its all mental with Petey right now and there is no indication he will snap out of it this season. He had multiple chances to get going (ie: a fresh start in the playoff; finally scoring a goal to get the monkey off his back in G2; played on the lotto line or with Garland/Boeser/Lindholm at various times, etc), but still nothing. I think he has already checked out and its a shame. Feel sorry for the rest of the team that are trying their best out there putting everything on the line, and Petey just go out and do whatever it is he is currently doing.

 

[Wayward Son]

Toch calls it like he see's it

 

[HockeyVirus]

Uhhhh no he isn’t, that’s one terrible take.

22 points in 27 games isn’t a poor playoff performer

Matthews is a PPG player in the playoffs and look at his reputation. He is a poor performer.

 

[johan f]

His psyche is fragile. When losing faith in himself he overthinks and hesitates.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Is he playing through something, nursing an injury perhaps?

Why would Tocchet be calling him out if that was the case?

 

[PanniniClaus]

2 weeks prior to his CURRENT contract.

Outside of his red hot 5v5 play last year, he's largely been shit for 4 seasons.

You know damn well Tocchet had no interest in giving Pettersson a big deal... that was a GM/Ownership decision.

Buyers remorse kicked in almost immediately. Leafs have lived it which is why they are going to finally learn a lesson and not give big bucks to Marner.

Outside of ripping the odd one timer... what does he do well?

 

[eviohh26]

Something has been off since late January. I suspect he is playing injured. We have seen what a healthy Pettersson looks like and this is not it.
His shot is pathetic atm.
His skating is a full step behind atm
He is playing at half physicality atm
His linemates are bad. It's the worst line is hockey at the moment. He has 0 Chemistry with them and it produces next to nothing. Priority next year is to get him some help.

It sucks to watch but I'm not freaking out yet. If this continues next year then yes. We have a big problem. Paying a player that kind of money for this kind of performance will sink this teams future. But like I said we seen a healthy Petey. This isn't it.

Oiler fans are piling on because why wouldn't they? Petey had a good Bubble performance but that means nothing to them because bubble didn't count (Oilers got bounced by the retirement home BlackHawks.)
Leaf fans are piling on to cope with their own team. Marner has shown time and time again what he is made of. We can only hope this is a 1 time thing.
Fans tuning in for the 1st time haven't watched him all season so they can only base his play off what they see. Reasonable.

 

[Bobby9]

Since we’re all speculating ill share my theory.

He was pressured by fans, management and media to sign in Vancouver and eventually put ink to paper when the noise got to loud. His play went off a cliff right before he signed and he’s never recovered.

IMHO, he doesn’t want to play in Van. Even his teammates were ‘surprised’ he extended mid season. Either he wants a quieter market or a huge market like NYC.

 

[Ace of Hades]

Matthews is a PPG player in the playoffs and look at his reputation. He is a poor performer.

Matthews has been poor for years, Pettersson was solid during his first year of post season play and poor this year for the first time. Completely different scenarios.

Matthews also doesn't have fourth line plugs/anchors attached to him.

Pettersson has been playing poorly after the all star break.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

It doesn't officially count either because he scored on Skinner.

My 6 year old daughter would score on Skinner with a plastic stick.

What’s her cap hit?