Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson is not reading the comment section this season.
The Swedish forward recently revealed he is getting away from the internet, as he’s no longer using social media. This all comes amid a subpar stretch of play that has spanned nearly 12 months now, including just nine points in the first 15 games of this year.
“It hasn’t been the best start for me, but the only thing I can influence is my own effort and if I work hard, the points will come,” he said in a recent interview with Gunnar Nordström from Swedish news source Expressen.
“I have removed all my social media, which is nice because I’m not walking around wasting time on scrolling the internet.” (Translated from Swedish into English by Reddit user u/PapaPadroni).
“I also get more done at home. It’s very nice not to read and check Instagram. I live my life and try to turn my season around.”
When Pettersson entered the NHL, he was active on social media and used it to showcase different aspects of his personality. The now 25-year-old regularly interacted with fans and teammates on different platforms.
It was normal to see him showing off his love for fashion on Instagram, and it gave fans a chance to get to know Pettersson beyond his play on the ice. He even famously remade a basketball video upon a fan’s request.
— Elias Pettersson (@_EPettersson) September 26, 2020
Starting around 2021, Pettersson stopped posting as much on social media. He hasn’t made any posts on X since, and a glance at his Instagram profile today doesn’t tell you much about his personality.
The centre’s last three posts are all for corporate sponsorships. His last non-advertisement post on the platform was on February 4, more than nine months ago, and that was just a recap from the NHL’s All-Star Weekend.
It hasn’t been the best start to the season for Pettersson. He has just nine points in 15 games, continuing a run of subpar play from last season.
“I know I haven’t started the season that well, it’s all on me and I’m just trying to look forward to the next game and play better,” he continued in that same interview with Expressen.
But things have started to turn around for the Canucks’ highest-paid player. He has three goals and five points in his last five games with the team.