Is Pettersson playing through injury with Canucks right now?
Is Elias Pettersson playing through an injury right now? Perhaps nothing points to the Vancouver Canucks star’s brilliance more than the fact that people are wondering this, as he has 28 points in 20 games.
He’s sixth in NHL scoring, but Pettersson hasn’t registered a point in back-to-back games for the first time this season, and he has just one goal in his last nine games. He hasn’t missed a game, but Pettersson has skipped two practices this season, with head coach Rick Tocchet admitting both times that something was ailing the 25-year-old.
Tocchet admitted that Pettersson was a “little bit banged up” when he was absent from practice on October 18. The Canucks coach classified his November 1 absence as “maintenance,” adding that Pettersson was playing through a minor injury, according to Rink Wide’s Jeff Paterson.
#Canucks Tocchet says maintenance day for 35 & 40. But also noted that Pettersson has been playing through something minor. Just felt no need for him to practice today
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) November 1, 2023
Pettersson’s shots on goal are down this year, with 47 shots through 20 games. He had 61 shots on goal after 20 games last season and 56 shots at the 20-game mark in 2021-22.
Is his wrist bothering him again? Maybe, but he’s also on pace for a career-high faceoff winning percentage (50%), which would be hard to do with a wrist injury.
Anecdotally, Pettersson just doesn’t seem to have the same explosiveness we’re used to seeing.
Patrick Johnston of Postmedia told Sekeres and Price today that he believes Pettersson has a “groin issue.”
.@risingaction on what's ailing Elias Pettersson:
"I've come to the conclusion it's a groin issue. Those don't heal easily, especially when you're playing this many games. It's the kind of thing that needs rest." #Canucks@vghmillionaire | Know your limit. Play within it. 19+
— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) November 23, 2023
Groin injuries can be nagging — not bad enough to keep you out of the lineup, but they take time to fully heal.
The problem with those types of injuries during an NHL season is there aren’t many breaks in the calendar. The Canucks have just played five games in eight days, with games in back-to-back nights upcoming in Seattle on Friday and San Jose on Saturday. The Canucks won’t get more than two days off in a row until the Christmas break, when they get four days off in a row. They’ll also have four days off between December 28 and January 2.
The longest rest period of the season is the All-Star break, which sees Vancouver get a nine-day break between January 28 and February 6.