Canucks' Pettersson misses practice with illness
Published
Vancouver Canucks star centre Elias Pettersson was absent from practice on Tuesday due to an apparent illness as his team prepares for Game 1 of their second round series against the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Swede struggled during Vancouver's first round series win over the Nashville Predators, recording just three assists in six games.
Pettersson scored 34 goals and added 55 assists over 82 games in 2023-24, his sixth season in Vancouver after being selected fifth overall by the Canucks in 2017. He has 170 goals and 242 assists over 407 career games in the NHL.
Before this season, Pettersson's only postseason experience came during the COVID-19 year in 2020, the last time the Canucks made the playoffs. He scored seven goals and 11 assists over 17 games as the Canucks advanced to the second round inside the bubble that year.
Pettersson signed an eight-year, $92.8 million contract, featuring an average annual value of $11.6 million, in March and that deal will begin next season.