No that’s not it at all…
No one here or that has been defending him hasn’t said he hasn’t played poorly, they have pointed out he is playing better, and much better than he was.
They have also said hey looks like he is hurt… would be nice to get him back healthy…. Others have just denied it and said he was never hurt. Just look at his thread from the last 24 hrs…
Well sure seems like they do when anyone ever questions his abilities, because people like him so much, I get that being a fan, but I don't just give free passes because he's a fan favorite.
I did say a few days ago not on this site, but that he has improved in the last couple weeks, but watching him last game he looked bad again, so he's not stepping up enough still imo, an elite player shouldn't struggle this much.
Well before the season started Pettersson made sure to say the knee isn't a problem anymore, so I guess he made sure to scratch that excuse out the door, which made his start to the season even more questionable. It's pretty sad when you have ex NHL coaches or gms saying it looks like he's forgotten how to play hockey, that's a tough one to ignore.