Vancouver Canucks coach drops hints about Elias Pettersson's mystery injury
Injury details are closely held secrets in the NHL, and that’s especially true concerning whatever is bothering Elias Pettersson.
The Vancouver Canucks centre hasn’t played since Dec. 5, and he’s set to miss his eighth game in a row with a mystery injury.
That’s a surprise, given Pettersson appeared close to being game-ready on Dec. 6, when he took the pre-game warmup, but didn’t play against the Minnesota Wild.
Canucks head coach Adam Foote described Pettersson as “banged up” at the time. When speaking with reporters Monday in Philadelphia, he would only describe the injury as “upper body,” and suggested Pettersson could return in one of the first two games after the Christmas break.
“He tweaked or jammed [something], whatever you want to call it. I think he’s close,” Foote told reporters.
Elias Pettersson is doing some extra rehab-coded skating work with #Canucks assistant Scott Young at one end of the rink, while his Vancouver teammates put in some power-play work at the other during morning skate.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) December 22, 2025
An upper body suggests this is unrelated to the knee tendinitis that plagued Pettersson in the past. The 27-year-old has dealt with wrist issues in the past, though.
The Canucks play their final game before the holiday break on Monday against Rick Tocchet and the Philadelphia Flyers. Their first game after the break is at home to the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 27.
Somehow, the Canucks have been red-hot, winning four games in a row since trading Quinn Hughes. They’ve missed Pettersson for the entirety of that stretch, too.
All four wins have come on the road, where the Canucks have been strong this season.
With an 11-7-2 away record, the Canucks have the 10th-best road team in the NHL this season. Their troubles have largely come at Rogers Arena, where the Canucks have the league’s worst home record, winning just four times in 15 games (4-10-1).