Post-Game Talk: [GM54} Canucks defeat Sharks | 2-1 (OT) | Joshua & O’Connor | Don’t Ask How Many, Just How

[Oliewud]

By the way, watching Toffoli tonight sure made me sad. Had great chemistry with Pettersson, and that's not a common thing. Should never have let him go.

u want to pay him $6 mill?

might be a good acquisition thru trade

 

[David71]

petterson needs a seat in the pressbox for a game or two.. even if he decides to "turn it on for a 2 week tournment and comes back will always be his same old self.

 

[Pogotheclown]

M. Pettersson is looking great and stabilizing the defense.

 

[Nopefully]

petterson needs a seat in the pressbox for a game or two.. even if he decides to "turn it on for a 2 week tournment and comes back will always be his same old self.

Maybe he just needs a brief change of scenery. I don’t know though. The whole thing is baffling.

 

[David71]

Maybe he just needs a brief change of scenery. I don’t know though. The whole thing is baffling.

psychological.

 

[Nopefully]

psychological.

I agree pretty well. Some people are complicated and Miller sounds like an asshole that could mess someone up pretty well…just it’s hard to see a player perform so below their salary when their salary is so high. It’s like an injustice to humanity or something lol

 

[David71]

because whatever hes dealing with hes gotta pick it up. no miller here anymore just play your game and shoot the puck. always always hesitant

I agree pretty well. Some people are complicated and Miller sounds like an asshole that could mess someone up pretty well…just it’s hard to see a player perform so below their salary when their salary is so high. It’s like an injustice to humanity or something lol

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

You'd think between all the hockey minds on the Canucks they could reel-in EP40.

The guy seems totally timid and distracted all the time. He used to be so forceful and in on every play.

 

[VanJack]

Counting down the days until Tom Wilander joins the Canucks. It would be so refreshing to see a d-man with some composure, vision and skating ability in their own zone. With Hughes out, it's like a black hole.

Tonight, for the most part Forbort, Soucy and even Myers at times just blindly shot pucks out of their own zone with their head totally down--absolutely no idea where the puck was going.

That's what makes the two Pettersson--Elias II and Marcus--so valuable. They buy space and time and make a solid first pass. Just can't see a future for the likes of Soucy, Forbort and Juulsen on this blueline.

 

[AwesomeInTheory]

The problem with Pettersson being injured is it makes no sense if it's true, and it makes no sense if it is not true.

IF he is injured and the team is not confirming it, they are helping fuel the flames of hatred towards him. That would be insanely stupid to do for a 26-year old franchise forward who just signed the biggest deal in team history.

It might be Yashinitis.

 

[LordBacon]

I agree pretty well. Some people are complicated and Miller sounds like an asshole that could mess someone up pretty well…just it’s hard to see a player perform so below their salary when their salary is so high. It’s like an injustice to humanity or something lol

I go through that shit everyday at work.

 

[strattonius]

EP40 is truly the most baffling player development i've ever seen....across all sports.

If you were to try and make a legitimate case that Canucks fans are cursed, Pettersson's fall off would be your best case.

What an extremely tenuous and difficult decision management has to make here. I understand the logic behind keeping him and expecting the rebound. And I also understand if they want to cut bait because he's truly washed.

Happy we won the game but for anyone that isn't distracted or have EP40 on the front of their mind you'd have to wonder how. There's too much to try to unravel and rationalize about a situation that can't be explained.

 

[604]

Then when Pettersson finally started producing again, Miller gets traded and then pettersson goes on another pointless streak. I think this Miller thing needs to be purged from his head.

I don't think the team side of this is very mysterious, they don't think he's injured. Otherwise, nothing they've done in the past 12-18 months makes any sense.

IMac seems a bit angered:

IMac [paraphrased] "The team executed their season long pattern of sitting on a lead/turtling"...

Tocchet's "meet pressure with pressure" has utterly failed.



Question: If Pettersson produced when Miller was on his LOA, and these things are tied, why did he stop producing once Miller was gone for good?

I know the whole EP40 thing is driving some of us, including me, crazy.

So what if EP40 was playing for his new contract. Gets the contract then starts coasting.

Pettersson signed his contract March 2, 2024. In this article, Allvin states that it has been a 2 year signing process (https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/elias-pettersson-contract-extension-canucks-nhl-1.7132138) The team hired Allvin on Jan 26, 2022.

EP's stats from 2022-23 (conversations for extension starting)
GP 82, G 39, A 63, PTS 102 = 0.48 GPG and 1.24 PPG

EP stats from 2023-24 (pre-contract)
GP 62, G 29, A 46, PTS 75 = 0.47 GPG and 1.21 PPG

EP stats from 2023-24 (post-contract)
GP 20, G 5, A 9, PTS 14 = 0.25 GPG and 0.70 PPG

EP stats from 2024-25 (so far)
GP 48, G 11, A 22, PTS 33 = 0.23 GPG and 0.69 PPG (crazy that this is that bad including the amazing stretch below)

Included in that stretch of games is a portion where Petey was asking to stay, while the team was, allegedly, considering trading him or Miller (I'm guessing on dates here based on stats - no idea how to figure out exactly when this process was ongoing):

Nov 5 to Dec 10:
GP 17, G 7, A 15, PTS 22 = 0.42 GPG and 1.29 PPG

On here, we generally argue about whether Pettersson is injured or not. I'd suggest that the period of productive play from Nov 5 to Dec 10 of this year shows that he's not too injured to perform - so I don't find this argument very convincing.

So then we're left with, what if Pettersson decided to play hard to earn his huge payday, and again when management was discussing whether to keep him or Miller, but basically has put it in cruise control for the rest of his time.

There are guys who have historically produced much better in contract years, is there any chance that Pettersson simply isn't that interested in competing unless there's something personal to gain?

TL;DR
Petey played hard when Allvin was talking to him about a massive contract extension and again when Allvin was considering trading him or Miller, apart from those time periods, Petey is just mailing it in and collecting a pay-cheque. This is not confidence or injury related.

 

[VanJack]

Another stunningly ineffective game again from EP40. He can't stickhandle in traffic, he won't shoot and he can't seem to stay on his feet. And he drags down every winger he plays with--even Connor Garland.

The Canucks can trade for defensemen; tweak their forward group and give Hughes more minutes--but it will be for naught, if this is all the Canucks are going to get out of Pettersson. You simply can't pay $11.7m to a guy who's as awful as he is right now.

Obviously Allvin is in a tough spot-- and I can't see any resolution until the summer. Right now, you probably couldn't give him away for a fifth round draft pick.

 

[Big zZz]

Boeser needs to bury that early chance. An 8-9m player does.

 

[StickShift]

The most dangerous thing for EP40s future with the team is if they keep winning despite his lackluster production.

The team might then begin to perceive him as expendable and get the idea that a package of players would be an upgrade over him that they could use now.

 

[JT Milker]

I can only theorize that its because he feels responsible for this whole debacle. To me, going from 15 points in 10 games to 0 points in 6 straight after Miller comes back is pretty strong evidence of just how much this Miller thing has affected him, and there are some mental hurdles he needs to overcome. Which I think he will, because he has in the past, eg his slump after signing his second deal.

Much simpler explanation: he got more time with Hughes during the LOA.

 

[Diamonddog01]

I suspect EP40 is gone at the draft. Being patient with players who have stopped working out hasn't really been their MO.

 

[Quinning]

Genuinely think EP40 will get traded at the deadline. I don't think he wants to be here and hasn't for a long time.

 

[kanucks25]

Genuinely think EP40 will get traded at the deadline. I don't think he wants to be here and hasn't for a long time.

What's "a long time"? Because it's been 11 months since he committed here for 8 years.

 

[AlainVigneaultsGum]

What's "a long time"? Because it's been 11 months since he committed here for 8 years.

He asked to stay in the midst of JTGate too.

 

[Pacific Canuck]

Demko has looked very good last two games.

Getting his Mojo back.

 

[SnapIt]

He asked to stay in the midst of JTGate too.

Maybe strategic to get to his NTC?

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Demko has looked very good last two games.

Getting his Mojo back.

Hopefully he’s turning the corner, here. That would be enormous for this team.

 

[theguardianII]

EP40 is truly the most baffling player development i've ever seen....across all sports.

If you were to try and make a legitimate case that Canucks fans are cursed, Pettersson's fall off would be your best case.

What an extremely tenuous and difficult decision management has to make here. I understand the logic behind keeping him and expecting the rebound. And I also understand if they want to cut bait because he's truly washed.

Happy we won the game but for anyone that isn't distracted or have EP40 on the front of their mind you'd have to wonder how. There's too much to try to unravel and rationalize about a situation that can't be explained.

Haven't they already?
Allvin stating he has to grow up, mature and ...? Isn't that his opinion of the player? Not good enough?
Letting it out there that that EP40 is on talks around the league for a trade. Is that already cutting bait?
The President of the team confirming these trade ideas?
The coach and Captain contradicting EP40, paraphrasing EP40 "there is nothing" then those two, "ya, we are working on fixing it". So revealing a lie? EP40 was lying? Now he is a liar.
Just about all the statements a result of his production but nothing about why?

One item overlooked is the change in the system last year which coincided with EP40 free fall. I commented on it at the time as I thought it was Tocchet just getting the team prepared for tighter games in the playoffs but it never changed back. That can't be all of it but still is EP40 the square peg jammed in the round hole?

Still I think he is already bait they are just fishing for a "slab" (30+lb salmon) and are only getting 10lb trout.