Canucks: 3 questions facing Elias Pettersson in 2021

Elias Pettersson has entertained fans of the Vancouver Canucks for two years now. What kind of questions could he face during the upcoming 2021 season?

The dog days of hockey’s offseason this year have become longer than ever. 2020 has featured what feels like two offseasons for the Vancouver Canucks but it was really just a long pause followed by a very different feeling autumn break.

With that in mind, as any hockey fan does, questions regarding your team’s future become bigger questions. The time comes to obsess over every player’s stats, the possible line combinations, the new players… everything gets put under the microscope. Let’s take a look at Elias Pettersson. What are three big questions facing EP40 in the 2021 NHL season?

Can Pettersson produce over a point per game in 2021?

As good as Pettersson has been since his arrival in the National Hockey League, he’s never finished a season above a point per game. Granted it’s a very hard thing to do these days, especially as a fresh face turned public enemy number one.

Each of his first two seasons with the Canucks ended with a total of 66 points. Last year, he did it in 68 contests, the year before, it was 71. Not many players accomplish such feats, even the greats find it challenging. But, if I have learned anything from watching Pettersson play, it’s that he’ll come back more determined than the year before.

Can Pettersson score 30 goals in a single season?

If Brock Boeser‘s shot wasn’t good enough during his rookie season, Pettersson’s sure was. 10 goals in his first 10 NHL games made him the most promising goalscorer on the team since Pavel Bure. However, Pettersson cooled off and still hasn’t become a member of the 30-goal club.

It’s likely Pettersson would have hit the 30-goal mark playing healthy for a full 82-game schedule, but unfortunately, both seasons he was unable to play a full slate. He missed 11 games due to injury in 2018-19 potting 28 goals, and his sophomore season was cut short because of COVID-19 and he ended the season with 27 goals and 13 games remaining.

A full 82-game schedule will be another hurdle Pettersson will likely face in 2021. December is fast approaching and a start date has yet to be announced. With every passing day, the likelihood of seeing 82 regular-season games seems unlikely. But if it does come to fruition, a 30-goal campaign from EP40 is very doable.

Can Pettersson carry Canucks to the playoffs?

He did it last year, but he had a lot of help. That will certainly not be the case moving forward as Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, Troy Stecher and others have all left the Canucks through free agency madness. Can Pettersson do enough to save the team’s image and carry the Canucks back into the playoffs?

Another year of experience for Pettersson and it becomes a very intriguing question. He’s overcome challenges each year so far, and because of the person he is, I don’t see that changing this season. He got a taste of what the NHL playoffs are all about and he’ll do as much as he possibly can to experience that again.

It’ll have to be a complete team effort if Vancouver wishes to stay afloat in the rumoured All-Canadian division, but if Pettersson isn’t his usual self, the Canucks are going to be in big trouble.

What do you think Canucks Nation? What are the biggest questions facing Pettersson in 2021? Comment below and let us know your thoughts! This offseason couldn’t close soon enough.