In a surprising turn of events today, Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson departed from warmups ahead of the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild due to an upper-body injury. According to Thomas Drance of The Athletic, the injury was not sustained during warmups. Tonight’s game would have been Pettersson’s 500th career NHL game.  

Pettersson has been one of the Canucks’ best players this season, as the forward is tied for the team lead in points with eight goals and 14 assists in 28 games played. He has also excelled defensively this season, ranking second on the team in shots blocked with 51. His absence will leave a massive hole down the Canucks’ center, as David Kämpf, Max Sasson, and Aatu Räty are the lone centers still in Vancouver’s lineup for tonight. 

With Pettersson unavailable for tonight’s game Jonathan Lekkerimäki took the center’s spot on the top line. The winger was initially listed as a healthy-scratch for tonight, but was slotted back into the lineup as a result of Pettersson’s departure. 

Last night, Pettersson’s line of himself, Linus Karlsson, and Jake DeBrusk provided ample O-zone time and looked poised to score at least a goal or two had it not been for a great performance from Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka. 

Pettersson’s departure comes only a little while after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman dropped the news that the Canucks have had a discussion with the New Jersey Devils about Quinn Hughes. With tension high among the Canucks, who are currently last in the NHL and on a four-game losing skid, the trade rumour mill has been running at rapid speed. 

Vancouver is currently on the second-half of a back-to-back, with yesterday’s match ending in a 4–1 loss to the Mammoth. The team will want to scrape together a win tonight to ensure that their current losing skid doesn’t drop to five-straight losses. 

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