Pettersson is runner up for Lady Byng, but earns Canucks' best finish ever
Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson just missed out on making Vancouver Canucks history.
It was announced today that Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Jaccob Slavin is the winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. He beat out the other two finalists, Pettersson and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, for the honour.
If Pettersson had won, he would’ve become the first Canucks player to ever win the award. The team’s drought now continues for another season.
This year's Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner is Jaccob Slavin of the @Canes! š #NHLAwards
This annual award is given to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. pic.twitter.com/LGezDxZrom
— NHL (@NHL) May 30, 2024
In fact, he was the first Canucks player ever to be nominated for the award despite it being handed out for the first time way back in the 1924-25 season. It’s the best finish any player on the team has ever had.
The trophy is awarded to the “player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”
Pettersson finished with just 12 penalty minutes in 82 games despite seeing a lot of ice time. He has no career fights and just 74 total penalty minutes across 407 career regular-season games.
The forward had just two penalty minutes during the playoffs across 13 games.
The NHL revealed that Pettersson finished second in voting. Teammates Ilya Mikheyev, Thatcher Demko, and Brock Boeser also got votes. Pettersson got 13 first-place votes.
#CanucksĀ Elias Pettersson winds up being runner-up in Lady Byng voting behind winner Jaccob Slavin. Brock Boeser finished 16th in voting. Full results ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø@Sportsnet650 pic.twitter.com/YrgCupYnbl
— Joey Kenward (@kenwardskorner) May 30, 2024
The Swedish star had 89 points in 82 games. He was on pace to break the 100-point mark before falling off in the second half of the season. It was later revealed that he was fighting through an injury when his numbers dipped.
Slavin finished the year with 37 points and eight penalty minutes in 81 games.
Pettersson helped the Canucks orchestrate a massive single-season turnaround where the team went from in the lottery to being a contender. While they eventually lost in the second round, it was largely a successful season for the team.
The Canucks have had a lot of success with awards this season, as Rick Tocchet recently took home the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. Captain Quinn Hughes is also a finalist and expected to win the Norris Trophy, an award that no one in Canucks franchise history has ever won.