Petey, Petey, Petey.
Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet channelled his inner Jan Brady last week as he took questions about Elias Pettersson.
“You guys are obsessed with Petey, huh?” Tocchet told reporters. “I love you guys, but it gets old.”
Such is life when you are the fifth highest-paid player in the NHL. Pettersson, who makes $11.6 million per season, is constantly under the microscope. He did himself no favours with his playoff performance, scoring once and recording six points in 13 games. (Pettersson said after last season that he dealt with knee tendinitis.)
Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman sent social media and the city of Vancouver into a tizzy Monday when he pitched a mock trade involving Pettersson and the Buffalo Sabres on “32 Thoughts: The Podcast.” It was another example of how big of a lightning rod Pettersson is.
When the Canucks announced Pettersson’s new contract last season, he had 75 points in 62 games — an average of 1.21 per game and not far from the 1.28 per game he put up in his career year.
But since then, Pettersson’s offensive numbers have sunk. In the chart below, the “before” section includes 142 regular-season games from the start of 2022-23 through Feb. 29 of this year — the game before Pettersson’s contract was made official. The “after” section includes Pettersson’s past 64 regular-season and playoff games.
There is no denying that Pettersson has been less consistent offensively since putting pen to paper. His post-signing scoring average would net him 59 points over an 82-game season.
Pettersson has struggled with getting the puck to the slot, whether he is carrying it, passing it or shooting it. The puck has also been on his stick for noticeably less time in the offensive zone.
Tocchet has said on numerous occasions that Pettersson must move his feet to be successful. Pettersson ranks in the 57th percentile for speed bursts over 20 miles (32 kilometres) per hour this season, according to the NHL. That is a significant drop from 2022-23 when he was in the 88th percentile. Pettersson finished in the 77th percentile last season. Perhaps that is related to the knee injury, but his foot speed appears to have diminished.
It is not all bad, though. Pettersson has helped the Canucks generate 57.4 per cent of the expected goals at 5-on-5 over the past 60-plus games. By comparison, Pettersson had a 51.9 xGF% at 5-on-5 over the previous 142 games.
Pettersson’s defensive impact often gets overlooked. This season, he leads all forwards with 237 defensive plays, which include 164 blocked passes. In addition, his 104 puck-battle wins are 11th most at the position. Although Pettersson’s point production has slipped, he continues to be a positive influence on the Canucks’ results.
Pettersson, who started the season with one goal and four points in 10 games, has heated up as of late. When J.T. Miller left the lineup for personal reasons last month, Pettersson led the Canucks with 15 points in 10 games. Vancouver generated 60.7 per cent of the expected goals at 5-on-5 with Pettersson on the ice over that stretch. Actual goals were 8-7 in favour of the Canucks’ opponents, but Vancouver goaltenders saved just 86.6 per cent of the shots they faced at 5-on-5 during Pettersson’s minutes. (Pettersson has zero points in all situations and a 35.2 xGF% at 5-on-5 in four games since Miller returned.)
All things considered, the Canucks are not in a terrible position. They hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference despite missing their emotional leader (Miller), their top goal scorer from last season (Brock Boeser), their Vezina Trophy-calibre starter (Thatcher Demko) and a key role player (Dakota Joshua) for various lengths of time.
But Tocchet recently called out “four or five guys … (who are) struggling to get emotionally invested in the game.” Naturally, Pettersson was considered one of the culprits, though Tocchet did not name names.
One thing is crystal clear: Pettersson is a divisive figure, and that probably will not change anytime soon.
