The last two seasons have been a mix of bewilderment and a turnaround for Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson. Back in March 2024, the Swedish forward signed an eight-year, $92.80 million deal, which pays him $11.6 million annually. This was in the midst of a 34-goal, 89-point season in 2023-24, after a 39-goal, 102-point season the year prior.
Since the deal was signed, Pettersson has had 15 goals and 45 points in 2024-25 and 15 goals and 51 points in 2025-26. Granted, he has only played in 64 and 74 games due to injuries. He has dealt with upper- and lower-body injuries, mainly his knee in 2024 and the last couple of seasons, which hasn't been helpful.
When he is on the ice, he doesn't seem like the player who was pushing for individual hardware a couple of seasons ago. Now that the Canucks are in rebuilding mode, they will need to lean on Pettersson more. Can he be that guy for the Canucks this upcoming season?
Canucks need elite Pettersson to help lead the way
As the Canucks navigate a necessary rebuild, they will be looking to Pettersson to lead the way. It's understandable for a team to turn to a guy like Pettersson to be the center of their core, especially given the money he makes per season.
The 2025-26 season did see an uptick in his point total, going from 45 the year prior to 51 last season. However, going from a minus-10 to a minus-30 didn't help. However, that was more of a total team struggle than just a Pettersson thing. The Canucks had a goal differential of minus-100.
The question heading into the upcoming season is how the Canucks will respond after finishing last in the NHL in 2025-26. They have added Jamie Oleksiak and Luke Schenn. Offensively, they will have a full season of Marco Rossi, who some people have mentioned could be a future first-line center.
As of now, Pettersson is the first-line center for the Canucks, which is understandable given what he's done in the past and what he is being paid now. The hope is that he continues his upward trend in points production heading into the season. It'll be interesting to see how he does on a team in rebuild mode, when he's said in the past that he wants to compete in the playoffs. “I mean, I’m not going to lie, it's hard. Obviously, I want to battle, and I want to play in the playoffs. But we need to see what's best for our future and build long-term.”
If the Canucks want to have a competitive 2026-27 season, the hope will be not just around Pettersson but the team as a whole. However, it starts with Pettersson, who has to get his confidence back with his performance on the ice. If he can do that, and at least give them a 70-point season, the rebuild might have a better outlook as the season progresses.
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