When I say the Canucks aren’t going anywhere if one player starts taking over games, I don’t mean that in a bad way. Instead, I’m saying they aren’t going anywhere in terms of falling out of serious playoff contention.
That player would play (excuse the echo) a significant role in returning the Canucks to being that high-octane, high-scoring team again. This season, they’ve shown flashes but are still just 16th in the league with 111 goals as of Tuesday afternoon.
It’s not the worst number out there, but we know the Canucks can do better than that, especially if one of their high-scoring forwards finds their consistency. That player is Elias Pettersson, whose up-and-down campaign continues.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about Pettersson, whose play has been a thorn in my side at times, but I’ve praised it at others. I guess that makes my inconsistency my only consistency on Pettersson this season, so it’s rather complicated.
A red-hot Elias Pettersson is exactly what the Canucks need in the second half
While 28 points and 10 goals in 34 games isn’t bad, it is when you’re talking about a player of Pettersson’s caliber. He displays a rather physical game, and one in which he’s cool with getting in front of and stopping would-be shots. But the Canucks are paying Pettersson to go out there and give their team some much-needed points when he’s on the ice, and that hasn’t happened.
Of course, there have been rumblings about a potential trade involving Pettersson, given all the drama we’ve seen from the Canucks this season. But unless he ends up playing in a different uniform, and given the fact the Canucks remain in contention as I write this, Pettersson remains this team’s best hope in the here and now.
That can change should Patrik Allvin call up another team and pull off a blockbuster trade with someone, but Pettersson’s overall talent and points-producing ability would give this team a spark. Should that occur any time within the next few weeks, he would make it tough for the Canucks to move him elsewhere.
It’s one of those wait-and-see situations, but my advice for Canucks fans is to root for the guy unless he’s playing elsewhere. If Pettersson can find a way to get hot, the entire team will follow. He’s that much of an impact player.