In today’s day and age, there is only one player on the Vancouver Canucks you can consider the face of the franchise. That player’s name is Quinn Hughes, and few blueliners in the game today are more of a privilege to watch.
But Hughes is going to make an impact almost every night, from Game 1 to Game 82, with very few bad outings between October and April. Yet for a team hit with misfortune plus injuries to key starters like Thatcher Demko and Filip Hronek, someone like Quinn Hughes can make all the impact he wants, but the Canucks could still fall short of the playoffs if he doesn’t have some help.
Help has come, ironically, from Elias Pettersson, who I wasn’t so hot on just a few games back, given his productivity to kick off the season through its first 20 games. At the time, Pettersson had just 15 points in 19 contests, which, for most players, wouldn’t be have-bad numbers. But for Pettersson? Oh, come on, he’s better than that.
Luckily, Pettersson looks like he’s turned his fortunes around in British Columbia, with a healthier 23 points in 24 games, seven goals, and a 14.9 shooting percentage. If he shot the puck even more, it may not be long until he’s at least on a 90-point pace, if not higher, and that’s saying something.
Elias Pettersson is heating up for the Vancouver Canucks at the right time
Game 20 against the Boston Bruins didn’t do Petterson any favors in my eyes, as he went pointless again. Then, Games 21 through 24 saw Pettersson finish with eight points, one goal, and seven assists. Yeah, it’s safe to say that, even if Pettersson isn’t quite finding the net as often as I’d like him to just yet, he’s making up for it as a playmaker.
With J.T. Miller on a leave of absence, someone more than needed to fill in for one of the Canucks most distinguished players, along with helping Hughes, and it looks like Pettersson has also taken up the mantle. For fans in Vancouver, it’s the right time for Pettersson to start heating up for a multitude of reasons, many of which I’ve covered above.
But, for the player himself to look like he’s making yet another leap, you can’t help but wonder what his 2024-25 season will look like if this keeps up. I’ll tell you this: Pettersson has caught my attention now for all the right reasons, and it’ll be fun to watch him play as December, and the early stages of the playoff race, intensifies.