Pettersson opens up on struggles: 'I think about it a lot'

A lot has gone wrong for the Vancouver Canucks this season to cause the team to plummet from first in the Pacific Division a year ago to now outside the playoff picture this year.

Among the major problems has been the play of centre Elias Pettersson.

The 26-year-old's production has suffered a steep decline this year - and the Swede opened up to reporters to discuss his struggles following Tuesday's practice in Vancouver.

"I think about it a lot, and I haven’t been the way I want to be this year,” he said. “I haven’t played to the expectations I have on myself or the franchise has on me, and I’ll be the first one to tell you."

Pettersson has 11 goals and 35 points across 54 games this season after scoring 34 goals and finishing with 89 points in 82 games last season.

Two years ago, Pettersson earned Hart Trophy consideration after tallying a career-high 102 points, which was 10th-highest across the NHL in the 2022-23 campaign.

It's been hard for Pettersson to ignore the outside noise from fans and media, but he's looking to use that to his advantage moving forward.

“Pressure is good; it means you care,” he explained. “If I wouldn’t care, I wouldn’t think too much about it. I want to turn it around more than anyone. Good practice today and get ready for tomorrow.”

Pettersson's struggles have extended beyond just producing on the ice. He was involved in a rift with teammate J.T. Miller that forced the Canucks to trade Miller to the New York Rangers in January.

With the cloud of the drama resolved, Pettersson's production has sunk even further.

Pettersson has three assists and no goals in 10 games since Miller was moved, and has just eight shots on goal in that span. His last goal came in a game against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 21, and has just one goal in his last 20 games.

“Yeah, definitely, that comes with not getting looks and trying to make the perfect pass instead of simplifying it,” he said of his lack of shots. “I’ve always been a pass-first guy, but I also have a good shot. So I should use it more."

"Maybe not trusting it. Hopefully, that’s not a headline. But I’ll definitely look to shoot more moving forward.”

Pettersson has attempted only 94 shots on goal so far this season, and 206 shot attempts in total - both on pace to finish far below his marks in the last two seasons, and his career averages.

Pettersson has, at times, expressed frustration with the media this season. He told reporters after Vancouver's 2-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club in February that it was more annoying to deal with media than it is to work on breaking out of his slump.

He took a different stance when addressing the media on Tuesday.

“I appreciate the love all the time,” he said. “I think my comments after the Utah game ... I missed a breakaway, and I got asked about it and how frustrating the season has been. I was really mad at that moment and said something I didn’t mean. Somedays (dealing with the media) it can be. But it’s the last thing that is making me play bad or not myself this year. I just wanted to make that clear.”

The Canucks (27-22-11) have lost four of their last five games and trail the Calgary Flames by two points for the final wild-card slot in the Western Conference.

Pettersson is hopeful a change in production can lead to a change in fate for the team and help guide them out of their recent funk and into the playoffs.

"I just want to take these last 22 games – and hopefully more – and play my best hockey," he said. "I wish we had more wins; I wish I had played a lot better. I can’t dwell on that. Just try to look ahead.”

Pettersson is the No. 27 player on TSN's Trade Bait board, with teammates Brock Boeser (No. 2) and Carson Soucy (No. 9) ranked near the top. Watch full trade deadline coverage on Friday, with coverage beginning at 8a.m. ET / 5a.m. PT.