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Elias Pettersson’s collapse as a viable No. 1 NHL centre has truly been astounding.
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Published Mar 01, 2026 • Last updated 4 hours ago • 3 minute read
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The Canucks six all-stars in 2024. It’s hard to fathom how badly things have turned since. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty ImagesArticle content
An astounding fact revealed by Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday is that the last time Elias Pettersson scored a power-play goal on the road was Jan. 15, 2024.
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That seems impossible.
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And yet when you think about how the last two years have gone for the Vancouver Canucks, it does track.
As has been noted more than once, Pettersson was one of the NHL’s Stars of the Month for January 2024. He had a monster month leading into the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend. That’s the weekend that so many have looked back to over recent months, lamenting what might have been.
The Canucks had six all-stars that weekend — and a coach.
And somehow here we are two years later looking at the charred ashes of what was.
It’s not just that Pettersson fell so far. Maybe he really never was as good as we thought — or maybe it’s just that he was miscast and just couldn’t find his way after the league figured him out.
The Canucks fell apart. J.T. Miller somehow fell out with Pettersson so badly that even staunch supporters of his inside the organization, such as Rick Tocchet, admitted there was no path forward.
Thatcher Demko’s body finally broke. How many games will he play from here?
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Brock Boeser is here but after a quality season is now having a tough one.
Elias Lindholm didn’t want to stick around — and things hadn’t even got crazy here yet.
And then Quinn Hughes left too. Maybe he was always going to go. But at least at that moment in 2024 everything seemed possible.
Turns out Pettersson’s decline had already started.
Just baffling.
A fed up coach
Adam Foote benched his notional No. 1 centre Saturday. Pettersson had a couple fleeting moments at the Olympics, but on the whole was a spare part. Now, Swedish head coach Sam Hallam was a mess overall, so his judgment isn’t all that definitive. And Foote of course is struggling in his first season as an NHL bench boss as well.
But Pettersson’s nose dive is long-running. He fell apart under Tocchet too.
Two years of struggles. Maybe it’s the coaching style but it’s more like the will to win.
That’s what Foote highlighted after Saturday’s game.
“He’s got to be better, and he knows that, he’s aware of that,” Foote told the few reporters who attended his press conference after the game. “We need more from him and he’s got to find it. He knows he’s got to be better for us and we’ll see that next game.”
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“He’s got to play with more zip, like, more pace to his game, more engaged. Good things will happen when he gets his motor going.”
Captain? Really?
Listen, everyone behind the scenes says Filip Hronek is a very influential voice in the Canucks’ room.
That’s good. But putting a C on his jersey would be weird. The Captain is a public figure. He’s not just the leader: he’s the face of the team. And he’s just the wrong guy for the job.
This isn’t even about speaking with the media — which he doesn’t like much doing. It’s about being open and friendly to the fans, and there’s just no sign that’s a role he’s really comfortable with.
There’s no burning we-love-Hronek movement out there either. The smart Canucks fan, however many there may be left, know he’s a quality player.
But there’s no one chanting his name.
The Canucks don’t need a C next season. There’s no need.
What this team needs
A full reset.
That means trading Pettersson. Maybe he somehow finds his way over the remainder of the season. There are definitely teams that have kicked the tires — one source suggested at least two — but how serious are those offers?
At what point do you just say that’s enough?
This team needs a full reset.
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