Tocchet admits Vancouver Canucks are trying to change Pettersson's playing style
Elias Pettersson has recently been playing some of his best hockey for the Vancouver Canucks this season.
After months of struggling to find his game, Pettersson is finally looking more like the player everyone expects. The 26-year-old has four goals and seven points in his last six games.
One of the most notable differences in Pettersson’s game is he’s being a lot more aggressive, getting more shot attempts off. It’s part of the Canucks plan to change his approach and get him moving downhill more.
In an interview with Mike Halford and Jason Brough on Sportsnet 650, head coach Rick Tocchet said the Canucks are changing Pettersson’s playing style. What may have worked for the Swedish centre in the 2022-23 season when he scored 102 points is not necessarily what’s succeeding in today’s game.
“I know people joke about it, I say it all the time… if you want to score goals or you want to be a dominant player, you’ve got to move your feet,” said Tocchet.
“You’ve got to get to those areas, you’ve got to be deceptive, you’ve got to play north hockey. Regroup hockey, taking the puck back, won’t win in the NHL.”
“I think sometimes Petey likes to regroup, slow the game down. I’m not sure how many years ago doing that might’ve worked, but now you have to play a more north style, and we’re just trying to re-program his brain when it comes to that, and he’s buying into that. That’s why I think he’s getting better at that, but there is another level for us and our team.”
Pettersson’s turnaround coincided with him opening up to reporters on his struggles and admitting he needed to do better. This was also around the time Tocchet mentioned he saw the struggling star putting in extra work after practice and that Pettersson was seeking more help from the coaching staff.
That honesty and extra effort seem to have paid off, which is great for Pettersson and the Canucks, but it also begs the question of why it took so long for Pettersson to start doing the necessary work.
“This is a question at the end of the year that we’ve really got to dive into,” continued Tocchet. “Right now, Petey, he’s a great kid. I think there was a lot of expectations on him. I think he knows, was he ready for it over the summer this season? I think he’s been a little surprised at what he had to do to maintain a level that we expect from himself. So, is there a little bit of catchup? Yeah, I can be totally honest with you.”
Pettersson’s apparent return to form is great news for the Canucks, as they are in the thick of a playoff race. It seems he’s finding ways to be effective again, and if he can help lead this team into the postseason and beyond, many of his struggles will be reduced to a footnote in this season’s summary.