Canucks star Elias Pettersson is seeking 'revenge' after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign
Photo credit: https://i.markerzone.com/i/z.gif
Unhappy with his 2024-25 season, in which he recorded less than half of his 2023-24 production, Vancouver's Elias Pettersson is working hard this offseason to ensure his last campaign was a one-off.
And both Canucks' GM Patrick Alvin, and President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford agree this offseason is a critical one in EP40's career, as reported by Stockholm's NHL.com correspondent.
"I know what I'm capable of," Elias Pettersson is quoted saying at Sweden's orientation camp for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. "Actually, I haven't thought about it, but for myself it's revenge. I'm not happy with last season."
Elias is referring to the 45 points (15GF, 30A) he recorded, over 64 games played in 2024-25, far less than the 89 points (34G, 55A) from the year before. Over his 7 year career, Pettersson has posted 457 points (185G, 272A), in 471 games played, a pace of almost 1 PPG.
It's an impressive stat for Vancouver's 5th overall pick in 2017, who's been a steady presence on Vancouver's top forward lines. Yet, he understands that in order to improve, one must put in the work.
"I've put on some [muscle]," Elias said. "It's always about building your base strength, to get quick on the ice. To gain a few pounds, get stronger in general, that's always the goal."
Becoming stronger is indeed crucial for EP40, who's more of a skill-guy, and not really known for his physical presence. Adding bulk to his frame will help the talented Swede stay strong on the puck and in the corners.
Adding a physical element to his game can only help the Vancouver Canucks, who failed to qualify for the playoffs last season, finishing 6 points behind the second Wild Card spot. It was a complete turnaround from only one year ago, when Vancouver won the Pacific and advanced to the second round of the post-season.
Yet, it seems the 26 year-old Vancouver star is getting the results he'd hoped for this offseason.
"I've been healthy and have been able to practice at full speed. Right now I don't have any injuries that kept me off workouts. But obviously last season was tough. With that said, the lessons are learned. I'm just really hungry to have a good season."
| POLL | ||
AOUT 7 | 282 ANSWERS Canucks star Elias Pettersson is seeking 'revenge' after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign Can Elias Pettersson return to scoring 60+ points per season? | ||
| yes | 135 | 47.9 % |
| no | 147 | 52.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
