Canucks: How will Elias Pettersson fit in to Sweden’s 2022 Olympic team?
Fans of the Vancouver Canucks have had reason to follow team Sweden at the Winter Olympics since NHL players began participating back in 1998. Mattias Ohlund, Markus Naslund, Alex Edler, and Daniel and Henrik Sedin have all competed in the Olympic games during their tenures with Vancouver.
As well, Vancouver had four Swedes in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, as the Sedin twins were joined by Loui Eriksson and Jacob Markstrom. Now, eight years removed from the last Olympic tournament featuring NHL players, and six years since the World Cup of Hockey, all of those players have either retired, departed from Vancouver, or had a decline in overall play that was big enough for them to no longer be considered for the national team.
The most recent tournament to feature NHL players was the Sochi Olympics back in 2014. As a fifteen-year-old, Elias Pettersson was playing for Timra’s U16 team and watched Sweden earn a well-deserved silver medal. Eight years later, Pettersson looks primed to play a starring role on Sweden’s 2022 roster.
Here’s my 2022 Olympics team Sweden pic.twitter.com/6w3Vl2YwXh
— Aidan Pontes Serra (@aidanrps19) February 19, 2021
With Mika Zibanejad’s disappointing start to the 2021 season, and Nicklas Backstrom set to turn 34 before the tournament begins, Pettersson is set to take over the position of first-line centre for team Sweden.
Sweden has always had a rich talent pool at forward, and if Pettersson is going to play on the top line, the expectation is that he be paired with Sweden’s two best wingers. Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche was selected 2nd overall in the 2011 draft, and in November 2012, became the youngest captain in NHL history (19 years and 286 days old). He held that title for just under four years, until Connor McDavid broke his record, being named captain when he was just twenty days younger than Landeskog.
Landeskog is an incredible power forward and excellent finisher, recently having his best season with the Avs, putting up 34 goals and 75 points in 2018-19. He plays on the left-wing of one of the strongest top lines in the NHL, joined by Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. While MacKinnon is a different kind of centreman than Pettersson, both players are good at dictating the play, allowing Landeskog to be the finisher.
The likely candidate to play on Landeskog and Pettersson’s right-wing is William Nylander. Nylander is arguably not on the same skill level as Rantanen, but both players are excellent playmakers. Nylander’s vision, skill, and willingness to go battle in front of the net are all factors in him posting a career-high 31 goals in 2019-20. But a common knock on Nylander is his inability to stay consistent. His goals per game average dropped by almost half, from 0.25GPG in the 2017-18 campaign to just 0.13GPG during the 2018-19 season, before skyrocketing up to 0.46GPG in the 2019-20 year.
However, there has been speculation that Nylander’s woes were a direct result of Mike Babcock’s coaching. Before Babcock’s firing in November 2019, Nylander had scored eight goals in 23 games (goals per game of 0.35). Under Babcock’s replacement, Sheldon Keefe, he finished the regular season with 23 goals in 45 games (goals per game of 0.51).
Under Babcock, Nylander would often find himself playing in the bottom-six, while under Keefe, Nylander almost always plays with one of Auston Matthews or John Tavares. With a linemate driving the play into the offensive zone, Nylander was able to have more success, just as you would expect if he was playing on Pettersson’s right-wing while on the national team.
If you look at Pettersson’s most common linemates in Vancouver, you’ll see similarities; both Landeskog and Nylander bring the elite scoring ability and playmaking often displayed by J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. If those three Swedes do end up playing together in the upcoming Beijing Olympics, expect them to be as dynamic and dangerous of a line as any.
Now… what about that powerplay?
Pettersson’s spot on Sweden’s power play
AND Sweden’s power-play units pic.twitter.com/YBbOEUeUhq
— Aidan Pontes Serra (@aidanrps19) February 19, 2021
The umbrella power play format was almost unheard of 10 years ago, but it has become increasingly more popular year by year. It is the powerplay system that is run by Vancouver’s first unit, and you should expect to see Pettersson play the same role in Sweden’s powerplay that he does for Vancouver’s, playing at the top of the right circle.
Sweden’s elite defence gives the team a plethora of options for the powerplay, and a strong candidate to quarterback the first unit is John Klingberg. The Stars defenceman scored two goals and added fifteen assists on the man-advantage for the Stars during the 2019-20 regular season, and his versatility and ability to pass the puck quickly on the blueline would make a deadly combination with both Pettersson, on his right, and Zibanejad on his left.
The elite shooting ability of Artemi Panarin means Zibanejad doesn’t play the left shooting spot on the Rangers’ powerplay, but he has an underrated slapshot of his own. Back in 2014, Zibanejad set the Ottawa Senators record in their hardest shot competition, clocking in at 106 miles per hour. For some perspective, Zdeno Chara’s NHL record in the All-Star Game is slightly better, achieving a shot of 108.8 miles per hour.
Both Landeskog and Nylander can play either the slot or the front-of-the-net positions, while the left-hand shot of Pettersson feeding the right-handed shots of Nylander, Zibanejad, and Klingberg means that, along with being a threat with his elite shot, Pettersson could be racking up the assists in buckets on the man-advantage.
Finally, let’s take a look at the other Swedes on the Vancouver Canucks. Edler and Eriksson are years past their prime, and I’d go as far as saying that there is no chance you see either of them playing in the next Olympics. But what about Nils Hoglander?
The rookie has been outstanding through his first 21 games this season, currently tied for second in rookie scoring on a Canucks team starved for offence at five-on-five. Hoglander’s impact is often not on the scoresheet, with his determination and forechecking ability earning him praise throughout the Canuck fanbase this year.
By the time the 2022 Olympics roll around, Hoglander should be halfway through his sophomore season at the age of 21. Despite his excellent play this season, Hoglander is probably a longshot to be taken as one of Sweden’s 14 forwards. Rickard Rakell and Gustav Nyquist are the leading candidates to fill the spots at wing on Sweden’s fourth line, with both Adrian Kempe and Mikael Backlund’s ability to play centre making them more likely choices for the two extra forward roles.
Sweden’s other “cuts” also have to be considered; Andre Burakovsky seems to be just hitting his prime, but his defensive play and passing are the only factors keeping him out of Sweden’s line-up right now. Jakob Silfverberg has been a staple for the national team, featuring on both the 2014 and 2016 rosters, but his increasing age and declining production for Anaheim will likely see him left off.
Even looking at the other youngsters; there’s a chance that both Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz are in their rookie seasons for Detroit and New Jersey, and both could also compete for spots on the Swedish roster. Although Hoglander is doubtful to be included on the 2022 roster for the Beijing Olympics, he is certainly a strong candidate to be included in the 2026 edition of team Sweden.
Next. Canucks: 2021 Playoff picture is tied to power play success. dark
What do you think Canucks fans? Is Pettersson a lock to be one of the best players on team Sweden? Does Hoglander have a chance to crack the roster? Let us know in the comments section.