2023-24 Vancouver Canucks Player Review: Elias Pettersson
A deep dive into the 2023-24 season of Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson.
Photo by Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports - 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks Player Review: Elias PetterssonWelcome to the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks player review series. Over the summer, we will be taking a look at Canucks players performances from the 2023-24 season. Today's player is Elias Pettersson, who had 34 goals and 89 points in 82 games.
Pettersson had another strong year, posting his third straight season of 30+ goals and surpassing the 85-point mark for the second time. He finished second in Lady Byng Trophy voting while also signing the largest contract in franchise history. Ultimately, Pettersson proved he could be a top player in the NHL, affecting the game in both the offensive and defensive zones.
Before diving into Pettersson's 2023-24 season, it is important to note that his two halves were not equal. He did struggle post-all-star break, and while unknown at the time, it was revealed at the end of the season that he had been dealing with a knee injury since January. While Pettersson didn't go into detail, Rick Tocchet mentioned that the injury was tendinitis, which creates swelling, pain, and discomfort. Not that he has an offseason to recover, but the hope is that Pettersson can return to his strong form in 2024-25 and produce closer to the 102-point total he had in 2022-23.
One of the more impressive parts of Pettersson's season is that he was able to be productive despite a constant revolving door of linemates. In total, he played over 100 five-on-five minutes with eight different forwards, with his most frequent linemate being Ilya Mikheyev, who struggled to finish off chances throughout the season. Despite the constant shuffling, Pettersson was able to finish second on the team in five-on-five points with 46, while his 135 individual scoring chances ranked third.
While Pettersson's offensive play was impressive, his work in the defensive zone continues to be one of his most significant assets. He led all Vancouver forwards with 68 blocks, while his 50 takeaways were one-off Conor Garland's for the team lead. Pettersson also had an even strength xGF% of 52.01, which was the highest of his career. Even when he wasn't producing offensively, Pettersson was able to have an impact on the game, showing just how valuable he is to the lineup.
As mentioned, Pettersson struggled throughout the playoffs, which is understandable to an extent now that we know the injury he was dealing with. He had six points in 13 games but only found the back of the net once during the postseason. The positive, though, is that his defensive game didn't really take a hit, as all of his even-strength analytics were above 50%. Hopefully, now that Pettersson has experience playing in front of fans with travel during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he will be able to elevate his game next season and help Vancouver go on a longer postseason run.
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The biggest takeaway from this past season is that when Pettersson is on his game, he is virtually unstoppable. A perfect example is the seven-game Eastern road trip in early January when he put up ten points in seven games and was later named the third star of the month. If he can stay healthy and play at an elite level all season, it is very possible Pettersson could join Pavel Bure as the only players in franchise history to record multiple 100-point seasons in their career.
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