Paul Bissonnette names the one quality Canucks' $92.9M star Elias Pettersson "f***g better have there somewhere"

On the Nov. 1 episode of Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Paul Bissonnette shared his thoughts on Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson. He suggested that Pettersson needs a tougher, more aggressive mentality to match his $92.8 million contract.

Pettersson is undeniably skilled; he’s fast, has a great shot and reads the game well. But Bissonnette believes that Pettersson lacks a certain “dog” mentality, an edge, he thinks, could make Pettersson a more dominant force on the ice.

"You gotta get to a point where something snaps, something switches.” Bissonnette said.

“And if that switch goes off, he'll be a beast because he can skate like the wind. He's got an incredible shot. Skills are out the yin yang. What I think is missing in him is that dog. And when you pay a guy 11 and a half million, he f**king better have there somewhere inside of him."

Bissonnette suggests that this mentality is what could push Pettersson to perform at an elite level, taking charge in key moments and intimidating his opponents.

"It might take a few more years to untap, but it better be in there. So I look forward to seeing those."

Elias Pettersson's early-season performance has been slow compared to his past results. He had an impressive 102 points in the 2022-23 season, followed by 89 points last year.

This season, though, he has only four points and a minus-2 rating in 10 games. He’s been quieter than usual on offense, with just 15 shots on goal. While he scored in the 4-3 win over the Penguins, he hasn’t netted in the past three games.

This slow start has raised questions about whether Elias Pettersson is playing up to his new contract’s expectations.

---

Canucks beat the San Jose Sharks without an offensive contribution from Elias Pettersson

The Vancouver Canucks won 3-2 over the San Jose Sharks, with Pius Suter scoring the game-winner with 26 seconds left. Nico Sturm scored first for the Sharks in the second period, tapping in a rebound from Luke Kunin’s shot before Suter tied it 1-1 for the Canucks with a shot over Mackenzie Blackwood’s blocker.

Jake DeBrusk put Vancouver ahead 2-1 in the third, scoring his first Canucks goal off a pass from Quinn Hughes. Mikael Granlund tied the game for the Sharks with 1:17 left, but Suter’s final goal sealed the win for Vancouver despite Elias Pettersson having a quiet night.