Vancouver Canucks: No more limits on Elias Pettersson hype

Hyping up your best player can lead to a precarious spot if things go south. However, I don’t care anymore. The Vancouver Canucks have something truly special in Elias Pettersson and we don’t need to keep that to ourselves.

So, I’m usually the first person on this site to dampen expectations and use a clear, level head when we talk about our players, especially rookies on the Vancouver Canucks. Well, call me a hypocrite, because I can’t resist it anymore.

Before the preseason, I kept telling myself this summer to keep my expectations moderate for Elias Pettersson. Continuing to remind myself that as Canucks fans, we don’t seem to get nice things, or at least a price must be paid. Pettersson could get hurt, the rest of the league could focus on shutting him down on a team thin in depth. There are so many “what if?” scenarios that should logically temper my expectations.

But let’s be honest here. Pettersson is just that special. Don’t get me wrong. I have not forgotten what Brock Boeser did last year and I can’t wait to see him get back to his old self once he is fully healed. And Bo Horvat has done an excellent job holding down the fort at even strength in Pettersson’s absence.

However, we hitting a new stratum of entertainment when we talk about Pettersson. He has played fewer games than the rest of the NHL rookie class, but still has the lead in goals and points. Of course, when Canucks fans say it, we have a ridiculous amount of bias. But I don’t care. Give Pettersson the Calder Trophy now. Alright, I’ll dial it back a little, but at this point, we shouldn’t hold back anymore.

The rest of the league is not fond of Canuck fans. We are loud, emotional, divided on various platforms. But one thing that unites every member of this fanbase, regardless of how you feel about the team comes back to Elias Pettersson. I mean, he made it to the NHL history books last night.

Percentages, tanking and Pavel Bure

Trust me, we are going to hear this a lot. His shooting percentage of 38.5 will normalize (and it will). We will hear the dreaded word that most hockey fans despise: sustainability. But that won’t matter, because the Alien has landed and is making games more enjoyable to watch from start to finish.

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Shooting percentages are definitely something that will affect players, but there is just so much creativity in Pettersson’s toolkit, that he will generate offence whether he is pulling the trigger or setting his teammate up.

However, when we see Pettersson roofing pucks with little movement of the hockey stick, you can’t really make predictions around that. He is fooling goaltenders in so many different ways, they can barely keep track.

Now you may be thinking that I’m switching sides and betraying Team Tank. Not necessarily. The Canucks finished near the bottom last year and still won 31 games. It’s an unavoidable thing and if we can still pick around the top five while watching Pettersson do his dekes, that’s a win for everyone. For now, wins in October won’t hurt the tank too badly. Although, the Kings and the Red Wings have set themselves up for last place fairly early.

Lastly, let’s talk about Pavel Bure. When we talked about Boeser’s rookie season, there was always an asterisk. Boeser was the best Canucks rookie since Bure. I will let you know right now. Pavel Bure is one of my favourite Canucks of all time. That incredible level of speed and lethal goal-scoring ability was something that has not been seen in a long time, especially in Vancouver.

But I think we can stop walking on egg shells when we talk about Pettersson. This young man has the potential to best Bure’s rookie campaign just like Brock Boeser. However, I think he’s going to do it. Fingers crossed he can keep with Bure’s 65-game pace. He will hit speed bumps along the way, but Pettersson is truly good enough to overcome whatever is in his way.

The logical part of my brain is screaming at me not to do it. To contain the excitement until we hit the midway point of the season. But screw it. Cut loose, Canucks fans. The hype train is running full speed ahead with no brakes. You all have certainly earned it, given what we’ve gone through for the last four years. This season has a predictable and almost familiar ending, but at least it will be well worth it to watch Elias Pettersson every time he takes the ice.