Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson hasn’t had an ideal start to the new NHL season.
He has just three assists and no goals through the first six games. In addition, he’s generated just nine shots on net, far below his usual pace.
The magnifying glass is especially on Pettersson this season, as it’s the first year of his new mega-contract. The Swedish star makes $11.6 million per season, placing him among the top five highest-paid players. His production has not even come close to matching that.
While five games is too small a sample size to draw serious conclusions from, Pettersson’s struggles stretch far into last season. He had a dismal playoffs — partially due to a knee injury he later revealed — and was not himself over the latter part of the 2023-24 season.
The start of this season hasn’t been all bad. He’s seemingly found some chemistry with Conor Garland and Nils Höglander and created several dangerous scoring chances in the team’s most recent win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
At some point Pettersson is just getting unlucky, cause this line is electric every time they enter the attacking zone. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/D2LEwaCERY
— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) October 23, 2024
“I think everybody knows that we’ve got to get him to move his feet,” said head coach Rick Tocchet when discussing Pettersson’s play yesterday after practice. “And when he has the puck, [to] make some plays, in the sense of, I don’t care if he makes a mistake, it’s about being more aggressive.”
“I think a lot of times when he’s standing around, he gets in trouble. That’s the mental part; we’ve got to keep working with him.”
With every passing game, the pressure is mounting on the 25-year-old to start producing. The new contract has only intensified the microscope on his play.
“We always talk about it here, especially this market; you’ve got to block out the noise,” said Tocchet when asked about the scrutiny Pettersson is facing.
“Whether it’s good or bad noise, when you hit the rink here, you’ve got to prepare yourself. Pressure hits you when you’re not prepared.”
“My big speech to everybody is make sure you do your reps, make sure you’re in shape because those things you can control. If you’re not prepared, that’s when pressure hits you.”
The Canucks are back on the ice this Saturday as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Rogers Arena. Pettersson has four goals and 10 points in nine career games against the Penguins, and he’ll be looking to add more.