Vancouver Canucks could play rest of the season without Pettersson: report
The Vancouver Canucks have seen their playoff hopes practically dashed over the last week or so and the news isn’t getting much better.
Injuries have hit the Canucks hard in this final stretch of the regular season. Filip Chytil, Nils Höglander, Tyler Myers, Nils Åman, and Elias Pettersson have all been knocked out of the lineup for one reason or another.
Pettersson was the biggest loss for this Canucks team as they tried their best to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. A new report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines last night offered some hope that Petey would be back before season’s end, but it didn’t sound too great.
“Pettersson has not given up hope on playing this year,” Friedman reported. “One source said they thought it would be unlikely we’d see him, but the key is Pettersson has not given up hope on playing this year.
“Right now, at best, it’s fair to say that’s uncertain.”
Connor McDavid and Elias Pettersson injury updates, Zayne Parekh potentially joining the Flames, and more on Saturday Headlines with @FriedgeHNIC 📰 pic.twitter.com/43ZPbGgkcQ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 6, 2025
The 26-year-old Swedish superstar has missed Vancouver’s last six games after suffering an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers last month. That injury came at the absolute worst time for the Canucks as they were locked in a playoff race for the final wildcard spot in the West.
Since Pettersson was injured, their playoff hopes have cratered as the Canucks have dropped multiple games against lower-tier teams. It’s also a shame for Pettersson as he was finally starting to heat up with nine points in seven games before being sidelined.
If he is shut down for the remainder of the regular season, Petterson will have recorded 15 goals and 45 points in 65 games. That would be his lowest point total since scoring 21 points in 26 games back in 2020-21.
Vancouver can only get 95 total points if they win their last six games of the season. The only realistic team in their sights would be the Minnesota Wild, who occupy the final wildcard spot with 89 points and five games left on their schedule.
While it would be nice to have Pettersson back on the ice in those final six games, it might wind up being better to make sure the Canucks star is healthy and ready to take another shot at a playoff berth next season instead.