No. 2: A top-six winger
Whatever the issue is, the cat is out of the bag. Pettersson and J.T. Miller have been having problems, whether they've been on the ice or with each other. Pettersson recently snapped a six-game scoring drought, and Miller, who has scored no fewer than 32 goals in each of the last three seasons, is barely on pace for 20.
AHL journeyman Phil Di Giuseppe is not a long-term or short-term solution in the top-six, and yet he is featuring as a top-six left winger alongside Miller. Pettersson has played with four different combinations of wingers for 50 or more minutes this season, so there has not been a whole lot of chemistry developed there.
The line of Jake DeBrusk, Miller, and Brock Boeser has been the Canucks' most effective, posting an expected goals percentage of 70.5%, per MoneyPuck. DeBrusk, Pettersson, and Garland have a mark of 66.7%, and Hoglander, Pettersson, and Garland have a mark of 59%.
The Canucks have only one Jake DeBrusk, so if he plays with Miller, the Canucks need a partner for Pettersson. If he plays with Pettersson, the Canucks need a partner for Miller.
As previously mentioned, Di Giuseppe is not a player you want playing meaningful minutes when the playoffs roll around - or when the playoffs are at stake. Hoglander may be traded and has mostly been a bottom-six staple anyway. The Canucks may want to see which wingers are on sale this holiday season and buy low to address this need.