What’s the story with Elias Pettersson?

[Pavels Dog]

89 points last season, 102 points the year prior.

Yeah he's not a perfect player, doesn't really have the build for sustaining the grind, playing through injuries etc. but he's a great player who will probably go on a heater soon.

 

[centipede2233]

It’s a case of overpaiditus. Funny how his play and body language soured from when he signed. This happens to a lot of stars. He might regain form but it might take time. Hopefully he isn’t sniffing coke for the next several years like Price then finally enters the PAP 4 yrs from now.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

He went from a 100 point per year guy, basically up until the all-star break last year, then came out of that a shell of a player. Don't know what the deal is but he's at 30+ straight games now without a 5 on 5 goal and with few Powerplay goals. He used to do everything with purpose and authority, now he just sort of floats.

It's even more impressive the Nucks took Edmonton to game 7 missing Demko and with EP a shell of his former self.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Should spend more time in the gym rather than flashing his instagram fits. A 25 year old 6'2 NHL top center should honestly be embarrassed weighing 176lbs. And he's getting physically embarrassed on the ice constantly.

Time for him to grow up and take his craft seriously or this contract will age horribly for him and the Canucks. Obviously very talented hockey player but guess what Petey, there's lots of those. Skirting by on that talent when you're 22 on a team without expectations is one thing but that act gets old. You need to have the correct mindset to be a consistent top end player year in year out in this league and Pettersson does not and has not had it for too long IMO. Don't give me that lacks confidence or he's just in his head stuff. He hasn't put in the work to get better and as a result has regressed. Really looks that simple to me. Not a lost cause by any means but he's got to take a long hard look in the mirror if he wants to figure out what his problem is. Just my two cents.

 

[kanucks25]

Nobody knows.

He's apparently dealing with a nagging knee injury but has never missed any time because of it and has had a full offseason in between.

All we know is that going back to last season, we have about a half season's worth of sample size in which he's looked like a 3rd line checking center with below average physicality and offensive ability despite having game-breaking talent.

Not all Canucks fans agree on this but me and a lot of others believe he is just extremely fragile mentally; whenever he's a little banged up or things aren't going his way he becomes a shell of himself.

His ES production has been like below replacement level.

 

[LemonSauceD]

He’s incredibly frustrating.

He maintained a 104 point pace between December 2021 (he was in the same type of slump he’s in right now prior) up until February 2024. His play was already starting to suffer though by around November/December of 2023 but he was still producing. After the all star break he’s completely just gone awol.

It’s all mental with him. He’s got an inflated ego. He has poor body language and when things don’t go his way he’ll sulk and completely play disinterested. He’s overthinking things with the puck. His compete level has been a joke and Canucks fans are as stumped as anyone.

He has such an elite level of skill and talent and he is still great defensively, but his intensity level sucks when things don’t go his way.

It also doesn’t help unlike other stars in this league he doesn’t have linemates with half the skill and talent that he has. The players he’s played with such as Mikheyev and Beauvillier all paced career seasons playing with him, and he factored in 40% of Kuzmenko’s goals before his own lack of play got him shipped. He played a bit with Hoglander.

It’s all mental with him. Alexandre Daigle type of mental.

 

[Johnnybegood13]

​

Huberdeau > Pettersson

 

[Lunatik]

I'm not gonna crap on Pettersson, but reading some of the takes from Canucks fans is certainly interesting.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Nobody knows.

He's apparently dealing with a nagging knee injury but has never missed any time because of it and has had a full offseason in between.

Saw someone mention the knee “injury” is tendinitis. I remember in my playing days being told by either a PT or orthopedist that tendinitis is a nonspecific diagnosis that essentially means your knee hurts. IME that’s a frequent consequence of dysfunction elsewhere (weak core, inflexibility in hips, inadequate development of the posterior chain [ie glutes, back, hamstrings]).

This would be consistent with others’ stated concerns that his overall fitness level and dedication to training isn’t where it needs to be.

 

[kanucks25]

Saw someone mention the knee “injury” is tendinitis. I remember in my playing days being told by either a PT or orthopedist that tendinitis is a nonspecific diagnosis that essentially means your knee hurts. IME that’s a frequent consequence of dysfunction elsewhere (weak core, inflexibility in hips, inadequate development of the posterior chain [ie glutes, back, hamstrings]).

This would be consistent with others’ stated concerns that his overall fitness level and dedication to training isn’t where it needs to be.

I haven't seen much in terms of people questioning his off-ice commitment or training. There is a group of fans that think his interest in fashion/social media/etc. distracts him but there's no real evidence or rumor/talk from any credible source that suggests it is an actual issue.

His lack of strength and size does seem to be a problem for him on the ice, but you'd think the organization would put him into a fitness program that would target those weaknesses.

Besides, there's no way he was in better shape in the past than right now and in the past - whether it was in his first couple seasons or two years ago - was when he was at his best.

 

[kerrabria]

So everybody's got a theory, but nobody wants to state the obvious?
He's a remarkably streaky player with a sky high ceiling, but the stars need to align for him to be on a high.
Who knows what makes the guy tick. Not everybody is as consistent as Crosby--that goes for hockey and life. I'm sure Pettersson wishes he knew how to even out his play too.

 

[ItWasJustified]

He's apparently dealing with a nagging knee injury

Are the Canucks trying to ruin his career? If he's dealing with a nagging knee just sit him for as long as it takes for him to be 100%. Who the fornicating sign a player to a 8 year contract then only wants him at 80% of his capacity for several of those years?

 

[Cancuks]

He always played his best hockey with Miller and Boeser. Re-unite them. Try DeBrusk at center.

 

[Else Ermine]

It's probably not just one thing.

He's clearly lacking confidence in his play and has been since the start of 2024. He's always been diligent with playing defence and for the best part of a year now has been leaning on that side of his game and not attacking with speed and skill. Instead he's gliding around the middle of the ice playing safe.

His A-game is flashy, instinctive and carries risk but he's good enough that he can make those low percentage plays in traffic remarkably consistently without it being a problem. The Canucks do not play that way under Tocchet. Now team structure is the priority and Pettersson, like everyone else, is buying in to that. Early last season he showed he could adapt and put up points playing that way but it's never really looked like you're getting the best of him in the process. If the team wins it doesn't matter.

He's got a bad knee. Hockey will do that.

Futher context for those unfamiliar with the Canucks: the fan base is very dramatic.
When he didn't extend his contract at the outset of last season speculation that he doesn't want to be in Vancouver gathered a heap of momentum, even though we all knew he would still be an RFA at seasons end, and the cap works be going up so the wait-and-see approach made sense for a player who expected himself to build on a fantastic 22-23 season where he was the team's best player. A segment of the fanbase wanted to trade him because they thought he doesn't love them back, and then his game went to shit but he got his contract so everyone's piling on to the point Don Taylor in the OPs video thinks Pettersson isn't trying because he's not attempting to blow through Victor Hedman on his way to the net while PKing against Tampa's top unit. This time last year everyone loved the player and most Canucks fans knowing the rising cap would have signed him to the contract he got in an instant. Take the anger at his play with a pinch of salt.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Tremendously overrated and always has been

 

[The Panther]

Futher context for those unfamiliar with the Canucks: the fan base is very dramatic.

Yes, it is. My impression is that Canucks' fans are really hard on some players.

Is it just me, or... are posters on here being a bit over-critical of Pettersson? The guy is averaging 97 points a year the past two seasons, and it's far too early to form any opinion of this season. He's one of the more talented players in the NHL, and since he's light and doesn't depend on super-speed, he could have 10 more productive years ahead of him. He was good in the 2020 Covid-playoffs, and even though he crapped out a bit last spring, there was probably a reason (injury) for it.

However, certainly the production fall-off from mid-February is quite dramatic. 18 points in 29 games isn't a great look, but I would guess he'll bounce back before the end of this season. Don't push the panic-button just yet, Canucks' fans!

 

[HockeyVirus]

It was a bad contract the moment it was signed, but the Canucks kind of had no choice to give it. He was never close to being deserving of being the 5th highest paid player in the league.

 

[Bobby9]

The knee injury is over blown and essentially now misinformation a small group of fan boys/girls on this site use as an excuse for his play over extended periods of time.

Second excuse is his line mates. He is paid to elevate people which he's unable to do over the last half season.

It's a bad contract that our management signed out of FOMO. Edmonton has McDrai. Toronto has Matthews. Canucks fans and management wanted so bad to have their own superstar that they over paid and over hyped a 7M dollar streaky C who is unable to handle the physical demand of a NHL superstar.

Also, if he was getting paid 7M all this criticism would go away from 100% of the posters. 11.6M destroys the Canucks for almost a decade.

 

[FlameChampion]

I think hes lost his passion to play.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

He's chilling

 

[SladeWilson23]

Which one?

 

[britdevil]

The knee injury is over blown and essentially now misinformation a small group of fan boys/girls on this site use as an excuse for his play over extended periods of time.

Second excuse is his line mates. He is paid to elevate people which he's unable to do over the last half season.

It's a bad contract that our management signed out of FOMO. Edmonton has McDrai. Toronto has Matthews. Canucks fans and management wanted so bad to have their own superstar that they over paid and over hyped a 7M dollar streaky C who is unable to handle the physical demand of a NHL superstar.

Also, if he was getting paid 7M all this criticism would go away from 100% of the posters. 11.6M destroys the Canucks for almost a decade.

Lmao, bro scored 100+ points. Absolutely no way he is a 7m player.

Is he a 11+ player? Maybe not, but that is a ridiculous take brother.

 

[Bobby9]

Lmao, bro scored 100+ points. Absolutely no way he is a 7m player.

Is he a 11+ player? Maybe not, but that is a ridiculous take brother.

1 even strength goal in the last 40 games.

7M is generous right now.

 

[Cats2TheCup]

Lundell is better

 

[Leafshater67]

Being 175 pounds at 6’2 doesn’t help. He’s so skinny and weak, teams are able to bully him. 20 pounds of muscle in his lower body and core would help him immensely