Adam Foote recently spoke about what center Elias Pettersson needs to work on this off-season.
One of the biggest storylines from the Vancouver Canucks 2025-26 season has been the play of center Elias Pettersson. While the 27-year-old does lead the team in points heading into the final game of the season, he did not have the bounce-back season many had hoped for. Add on his $11.6 million cap hit, and the noise just continues to grow as the Canucks head into the off-season.
When it comes to Pettersson, there are still more questions than answers. He has produced only 51 points in 73 games, but on the flip side, has blocked the third-most shots by a forward in NHL history, with 108. At this point, many in the market believe that a change is needed, with both media members and fans speculating that a Pettersson trade could be in the works this off-season.
This past week, Head Coach Adam Foote was asked his thoughts on Pettersson's season. While there have been times this year that Foote has stated his top line needs to produce, Vancouver's coach has often shied away from harsh criticism of his players in the media. Foote continued this trend with his most recent answer; he did note that there will be some conversations between Pettersson and members of the organization this off-season.
"Well, there's a lot going on in our season, as you know, and I'm not going to get back to rewinding everything that did happen this year," said Foote. "He'll reflect. We'll reflect. We'll have conversations about where can we get each player to another level. Keep getting better, keep grinding. And we've had discussions with Petey about certain things and different things, and the communication will keep going, and on the next meeting, talk more about it. We'd like to see him play more pace, for example, and in the back-to-backs, have more energy. So that's going to be a discussion we have with him and communicate with all our players about. You see players grow in the game. They play 15 years and they keep getting better and better and better. They work on their game. That's what the true, real pros do, and continue to do. That's something we've had our group, a discussion, not just with Petey, but all our guys. And it'll be discussed for sure and have conversations. You know, you want to grow and get better, and whether it's off-ice, conditioning, whatever, but that'll be a discussion."
After the season concludes, Pettersson will have six more years on his contract. He has a no-movement clause, which means he would have to approve any trade. Pettersson ranks top 10 in Canucks history for goals, assists and points and is one of seven players to record 500 points with the franchise.
Apr 14, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) skates in warm up prior to a game against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesMake sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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