The Canuck Way
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Canucks: 3 reasons the team didn’t qualify for the playoffs

By Zaahid Lalani

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 18: Alex Galchenyuk #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bo Horvat #53 and Jalen Chatfield #63 of the Vancouver Canucks watches the shot of Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs ring off the goal post behind goalie Braden Holtby #49 of the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of NHL hockey action at Rogers Arena on April 17, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 18: Alex Galchenyuk #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bo Horvat #53 and Jalen Chatfield #63 of the Vancouver Canucks watches the shot of Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs ring off the goal post behind goalie Braden Holtby #49 of the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of NHL hockey action at Rogers Arena on April 17, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 4: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 4: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Elias Pettersson injury

Man, did we miss Elias Pettersson this year.

The 22-year-old suffered a wrist injury on March 1st during a contest against the Winnipeg Jets. Pettersson was initially labelled as day-to-day, but he was eventually moved to long-term injury reserve as his treatment progressed. He stayed there for the remainder of the season, only playing in 26 games as a result.

Pettersson did struggle out of the gate prior to the injury, only recording two points in his first 8 games. He was able to bounce back nicely, putting up 19 points in his remaining 18 games, including five multi-point performances, and appeared poised to ride this momentum for the rest of the year.

Of course, teams often don’t find success when relying on only one player (just ask the Edmonton Oilers), but there’s no denying the value that Pettersson has on this team when he’s in the line-up.

Outside of Pettersson, only six other players cracked the 20-point plateau on the roster, with two of them coming from the blueline in Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers. With Pettersson unavailable, head coach Travis Green was also forced to experiment with different players in his top six forward group, resorting to lower-tier players like Jimmy Vesey and Jake Virtanen.

The powerplay also hit a wall without the elite sniper.

The Canucks finished with the seventh-worst powerplay in the league, posting a success rate of 17.33%. Most of the man advantage struggles can be chalked up to poor zone entry and puck cycling, but there were also a handful of moments where the team really could’ve used Pettersson’s elite finishing abilities.

And, of course, we can’t forget the seven-game stretch where the team went 0-for-21 on the powerplay.

To put it in perspective, the Canucks’ powerplay clicked at 24.12% last year, good for fourth-best in the league. Pettersson chipped in with eight goals and 14 assists over that span. In his 26 games played this season, he had already contributed four tallies, and would’ve likely led the team in powerplay goals had he stayed healthy.

Fortunately, all signs are pointing towards a smooth start to next season for Pettersson, and the former Calder Trophy winner even indicated himself that his wrist is almost at 100%. That’s good news for the fanbase, who are just hoping that their team can find more ways to put the puck in the back of the net next year.

And there’s no doubt that EP40 will definitely help with that.

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