Canucks: Elias Pettersson absent from NHL’s “Super 16” centres list
By Alex Hoegler
Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson missed the cut on NHL.com’s “Super 16” list for centres in the Stanley Cup qualifiers.
The Vancouver Canucks probably wouldn’t have qualified for the 24-team postseason without star centre Elias Pettersson.
Pettersson recorded 27 goals and 66 points — the same total he had in his Calder Trophy winning season — in 68 games. He was obviously going to smash career highs, and Pettersson could have very well finished 2019-20 as a point per game player.
The Canucks went through several injuries to key players during the regular season — including Brock Boeser, Micheal Ferland and Jacob Markstrom. But Pettersson kept the Canucks afloat, and his efforts landed this team a shot at winning the 2020 Stanley Cup.
If the 2019-20 season resumes, Pettersson and the Canucks will meet the Minnesota Wild in a best-of-five qualifying round to determine who goes to the round of 16. The NHL doesn’t have a firm timeline on a resumption of play.
Despite Pettersson’s strong production and world-class play this season, he was absent from NHL.com’s “Super 16” list of the top centres for the Stanley Cup qualifiers. Jonathan Toews claimed the final spot after receiving 29 votes; Pettersson had 16.
Obviously, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby deserved their spots on the list. Nathan MacKinnon, Patrice Bergeron, Leon Draisaitl, Evgeni Malkin, Auston Matthews, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, John Tavares, Mark Scheifele and Aleksander Barkov deserved spots ahead of Pettersson, too.
One can understand why Toews and Sean Couturier received top-16 spots, too. The former is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, and Couturier is Selke Trophy candidate. Mika Zibanejad, who posted career bests in goals (41) and points (75) for the New York Rangers, also deserved a spot on the list.
But you can argue that Pettersson should have been on the list over Washington Capitals star Nicklas Backstrom, who placed 12th on the list. The latter had just 12 goals and 54 points this season. His career track record and postseason success must have played a factor in receiving all those votes.
At the end of the day, these rankings really don’t matter. Pettersson has all the makings to eventually be a top five or 10 centre in the league. Most guys on this list are seasoned veterans, and it’s safe to say that their career bodies of work gave them the votes over Pettersson.
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The second-year star will get every chance to display his all-world talents and show he’s a top-tier centre when the Canucks eventually return to the ice.