Seasoned NHL experts bet on Canucks' Elias Pettersson getting back to elite level after $92,800,000 forward's disappointing last season

There will be expectations from Elias Pettersson to regain his form, which prompted the Vancouver Canucks to sign him to an eight-year $92.8 million contract last year. His performances on the ice were hampered by off-field distractions that derailed not only his individual season but also the Canucks' playoff chances.

The Canucks finished six points outside the playoff spots in the Western Conference, one year after reaching the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Elias Pettersson scored just 45 points, almost half of what he got in the 2023-24 season. His 89-point tally had followed a 102-point season in 2022-23.

As per TSN's veteran analysts Craig Button and Bruce Boudreau, there is no doubt that the Swedish forward will regain his elite level.

"It's a complete reality for me," Button said. "I think he's focused. I think he's ready to show that what he did last year is not what he's about."

Boudreau, who was a former head coach of the Canucks and knows Pettersson well, agreed with Button.

"I think it's a total reality," Boudreau said. "I think this summer, from what I've gathered, he's put on a little bit of weight, a little bit of muscle, and he wants to be used in an important role. I think Adam Foote will rely on him, and I know from experience when you rely on him, he comes through, and I'm looking for a big bounce-back year from him."

Elias Pettersson's 2024-25 season saw him in the middle of a public feud with J.T. Miller that eventually led to Miller's trade to the New York Rangers. The Canucks didn't find the collective team spirit under head coach Rick Tocchet, who left the club for the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of the new season.

Bruce Boudreau says Elias Pettersson ready to embrace the pressure

When Bruce Boudreau was at the helm of the Canucks, Elias Pettersson earned 1.11 points per game. The former coach knew how to get him dialled in. As per Boudreau, the Canucks, under new coach Adam Foote, need to be able to make Pettersson the centerpiece of the puzzle.

“He wants to feel the pressure. The first day I met him in practice, he said he wanted to be the guy,” Boudreau explained. (10:30 onwards) “He wanted to go against (Connor) McDavid.

"He wants to feel so important. I think that’s sometimes what he was missing. He didn’t feel important. But if they make him feel like he’s the guy, he’s the straw that stirs the stick, I think he’ll really come through.”

Pettersson has put on weight and has been reported by various sources from the Canucks camp that he is coming in with a new mindset. That will be crucial as the regular season kicks in.