Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson should be on the first power play unit

This upcoming season has Canucks fans excited to see more of a youth movement. The player who is making the most hype is Elias Pettersson. Let’s get into Pettersson needs to start the season on the first powerplay unit.

Elias Pettersson, just writing down the name makes me happy, I love the hype I see basically daily on Vancouver Canucks Twitter. Some calling him the Swedish Gretzky, some people need to calm down a bit.

Pettersson shows some amazing ability with the puck, his passing skills are amazing and the ability to shoot the puck are some things that the Canucks could definitely use on the powerplay.

There is a big opening on the first unit power play this season, after the retirement of the Sedins, who were two of the very best with the man advantage.

Pettersson plays a position on the power play that the Canucks could use immediately, the right point/right wing area was patrolled by Henrik Sedin and Pettersson could step into that zone and possibly add more of an arsenal.

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Pettersson is but one man. The kid has all the talent in the world and can add a shooting touch on the power play that we didn’t see from Henrik last season.

With Pettersson on one side and Brock Boeser on the other, how could we not be excited?

The cross ice pass of Pettersson to Boeser already has a ring to it, and if Pettersson can develop a one timer with some accuracy imagine how Alex Edler will feel knowing he has an option on both sides to get goals from.

That is one thing I did not see a ton of from Pettersson in all the power play work I’ve watched last season.

He has a good move that gets him space on the right side to unleash his wrist shot, actually its similar to former Canucks power play stand out Markus Naslund.

Get hyped, Nazzy’s back.

Sort of.

Not really.

In the end, I really hope that head coach Travis Green gives this young player an opportunity right off the get-go. We saw that it took a while for Boeser to get his opportunity at the NHL level on a first unit power play. But look what happened when he did, it was magic.

Hopefully, coach Green learns from his experience last season and starts Pettersson on the first unit power play when the season begins. Pettersson is the best player to run that spot and starting him there will give young him the best opportunity to put up points and play with the most skilled players on this team.

The hype is real on Pettersson and a real way to boost the hype is to start him on the first unit. To quote Plato “The beginning is the most important part of the work”. So this is a final message to Travis Green, just start the kid, and let him work.