Canucks' Elias Pettersson says he's 'excited to play hockey again'
Elias Pettersson had three straight seasons where he scored 30+ goals, including a 102-point season in 2022-23.
The 27-year-old forward has just 15 goals in each of his past two seasons, however, and is coming off a 2025-26 campaign where he had the lowest points-per-game of his career, all while carrying an $11.6 million cap hit.
There was even talk over the summer that the Canucks might trade the star forward, though that never came to fruition.
Now, Pettersson is coming into the 2026-27 season with something to prove.
“I just want to get back to myself,” said Pettersson ahead of the annual Jake Milford golf tournament in Surrey. “I haven’t been that the last two years. But it’s in the past. I’m coming with a fresh mind, and I’m excited to play hockey again.”
Some of that excitement could be due to the changes in the environment surrounding the Canucks. The team traded away multiple veterans over the past year and brought in new co-presidents of hockey operations, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and a new general manager in Ryan Johnson.
Johnson has said that he wants to give Pettersson “an environment that supports him, that allows him to be himself and not feel that he’s got to be anything other than himself.”
“It means a lot,” said Pettersson. “RJ’s someone I’ve known for a long time. He’s always been a good guy for me. It’s been good talking about the future, and what he wants to see from me.”
Pettersson and Boeser have been teammates since 2018. (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)
Pettersson’s longtime teammate, Brock Boeser, says that he sees a change in him.
“He seems like he’s in a great mental headspace right now,” said Boeser, “and he’s coming to the rink and working hard. I think that’s just a step in the right direction.”
This season is expected to be a tough one for the Canucks, with most projecting them to once again finish in the basement. The focus will instead be on development, as the team looks to rebuild for the future.
Pettersson knows he has a responsibility to help set the tone for the team’s younger players.
“Definitely,” said Pettersson. “Me and Brock and Demmer have been here the longest, so it’s up to us to set the standard of work.”
“Just be myself, practice hard, play hard,” he added when asked about how he can help reset the culture. “And be vocal when I feel I want to be.”