What Tocchet wants from Vancouver Canucks star Pettersson at 4 Nations

It’s been a frustrating season for Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson.

He’s scored just 34 points in 49 games this year, not the numbers anyone hoped to see from the $11.6 million man. However, Saturday night provided some reasons for optimism as Pettersson put together a very solid performance in a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Swedish centre feathered a perfect pass to Filip Hronek to start the scoring and took on a difficult defensive assignment against Auston Matthews. His strong play didn’t go unnoticed.

“I just could tell early on he was into it,” said head coach Rick Tocchet. “Obviously, making that pass helps him, but a couple of times, I yelled his name to go out. One time, he hesitated. I said, ‘No, get out there; you got him.'”

“I think that he needs a little bit of a push…I think that was a big thing for him, so hopefully, he can build on it.”

Pettersson finds Hronek to put the Canucks on the board first! 🐳 pic.twitter.com/gdgglzozll

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 9, 2025

Unfortunately for Pettersson, and the Canucks who have built up a ton of positive momentum, it’ll be quite some time before they play their next NHL game. The league is entering the 4 Nations Face-Off break, and Pettersson will represent Sweden at the event, which will be held in Montreal and Boston. The Canucks’ next game isn’t until February 22.

While many Canucks fans will surely want to see Pettersson light up the box score, that’s not what his head coach is worried about.

“I just want him to have fun. I know it’s a serious tournament, everyone wants to win, it’s serious. I want him to represent his country, go out, and have fun with his countrymen. Just have fun. Try stuff.”

“I just want him to go out there and have some fun. Come back. Hopefully, that tournament, hanging out with his buddies, rejuvenates his whole demeanour. Today…he had some fun, and I think he’s got to understand that pressure is fun sometimes.”

Pettersson’s first 4 Nations game comes on Wednesday when Sweden takes on Canada. It should be a great chance for some of the best players across the globe to go head-to-head on a massive stage.

The other Canucks participating in the tournament as of now are Quinn Hughes (USA) and Kevin Lankinen (Finland). However, Hughes has missed four straight games with an injury and his status is in jeopardy.