What in the heck is wrong with Elias Pettersson?

[Petey O]

He's looked like a completely different player this season. Despite his point totals, he looks completely pedestrian; almost like something is severely wrong with him mentally.

The injury excuse has come and gone, and now it really doesn't make any sense why an 100+ point capable centre is so bad.

Any theories? Thoughts? Does he need a sports psychologist?

"Alien" is a fitting nickname for this guy, considering he's an extraterrestrial anomaly at this point.

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[canuckslover10]

idk but hes not even shooting makes me think he has a wrist injury but idk seems mental at this point id rather see them form a lotto line to attempt to get him going, it would make sense to do so as well considering Nashville doesn't have the strongest depth.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Possible injury ?

Maybe content now that he has his contract ?

 

[Jeune Poulet]

He's looked like a completely different player this season.

It's the other way around. Last season was when he actually looked different. This season, he's back to his usual, inconsistent self.

 

[POVERTY]

Is there a way for me to go back and delete my "this contract will be looked back on as a steal" takes?

 

[larek]

Doesn't work hard enuff
Gives up too easily

 

[Petey O]

It's the other way around. Last season was when he actually looked different. This season, he's back to his usual, inconsistent self.

I wish I could call him inconsistent this season, since he hasn't been good at all.

At least I could hope for a burst of scoring/looking elite, but I have zero hope of it for the rest of the playoffs.

When guys like McDavid, Kucherov, MacKinnon, Matthews, and even guys like Aho, Hintz, Suzuki etc struggle, they don't look this bad. Not even close. This is another level of bad this season that is almost completely unexplainable.

 

[lordtrillson]

He’s got that dog in him (the dog is mitch marner)

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

The wishy-washy fanbase has done a terrible job getting him hyped up each game

 

[Byron Bitz]

0 shots, -1 tonight. Makes more money than Marner and is even worse in the playoffs.

 

[PuckG]

He’s more of a Leafs player with the way he disappears in the playoffs.

 

[eviohh26]

He’s more of a Leafs player with the way he disappears in the playoffs.

If we don't count the bubble then this is his 1st playoff appearance.

Also its hard to disappear when he has been a ghost for the last few months.

 

[wetcoast]

The 3 SOG in 3 games and the noticeable dip in SOG after January suggest injury but it's hard to say as he looks mentally fragile out there as well, which might be in part due to the injury.

Either way if he doesn't come around they might win the first round but not the second one.

 

[Bounces R Way]

For me it seems like he simply hasn't put in the work to get better. Came into this league already a very talented player, lack of skill is not the issue. That he still weighs 176lbs as a 6'2 NHL #1 center is frankly embarrassing. Can't drive the net very much when you're just physically outmatched against most defenseman. His skating hasn't improved much either. He does not move his feet, most times he gets the puck he's immediately looking to get rid of it.

I'm not going to declare him pathetic or cooked or whatever, we see players evolve all the time. We also see them stagnate from not maturing and I think that's what is happening here for Pettersson. You gotta have that intrinsic drive to be a marquee player in this league, talent alone is not going to be enough, and for the Canucks sake I hope that big deal they gave him is enough to kickstart it because if not that will be a real rough contract.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

For me it seems like he simply hasn't put in the work to get better. Came into this league already a very talented player, lack of skill is not the issue. That he still weighs 176lbs as a 6'2 NHL #1 center is frankly embarrassing. Can't drive the net very much when you're just physically outmatched against most defenseman. His skating hasn't improved much either. He does not move his feet, most times he gets the puck he's immediately looking to get rid of it.

I'm not going to declare him pathetic or cooked or whatever, we see players evolve all the time. We also see them stagnate from not maturing and I think that's what is happening here for Pettersson. You gotta have that intrinsic drive to be a marquee player in this league, talent alone is not going to be enough, and for the Canucks sake I hope that big deal they gave him is enough to kickstart it because if not that will be a real rough contract.

I do think Pettersson needs to improve for sure, but him putting up more weight might hurt him more than help. I honestly think a femboy like body suits his style a lot more. He's not going to be a power forward or anything like that.

 

[Albatros]

He may be on the skinny side, but I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with his conditioning. Indeed, adding weight for the sake of adding weight won't prove to be a silver bullet.

 

[PB37]

Player's career arcs and progression isn't always linear.

 

[crowfish]

He plays with 30 point wingers. That has hurt his production, the low production has hurt his confidence, which has further hurt his production. I can't remember an example of a star playmaker who has been saddled with 30 point wingers. It would be like giving Nicklas Backstrom or Henrik Sedin 3rd line grinders to play with.

 

[Regal]

He plays with 30 point wingers. That has hurt his production, the low production has hurt his confidence, which has further hurt his production. I can't remember an example of a star playmaker who has been saddled with 30 point wingers. It would be like giving Nicklas Backstrom or Henrik Sedin 3rd line grinders to play with.

Henrik and Backstrom would still be getting those grinders good chances though. It can excuse the production a bit, but it shouldn’t affect his puck handling, skating, passing and shooting, which have all been noticeably off. I still think he’s battling a nagging groin/hip/whatever that could affect both his explosiveness in his legs and his rotation of his upper body for shooting/passing/stickhandling, which probably comes and goes a bit but isn’t bad enough to sit. But it seems like his mental game just completely folds when things stop going right.

 

[Mathew Barzal]

He’s never been one to be tentative or shy away from contact. He’s injured and has been for a while, I’m convinced. It’s probably a shut him down for season level injury if they choose to deal with it kind of thing too. The Lindholm trade was too targeted for it not to be because of Petey

 

[Regal]

He may be on the skinny side, but I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with his conditioning. Indeed, adding weight for the sake of adding weight won't prove to be a silver bullet.

Yea, I think he puts in the work, but his body type likely isn’t going to add size and strength easily without slowing him down. On the plus side, it could mean he hits his physical peak a bit later than most.

 

[CanucksSayEh]

This is how he's played most of the last 4 years. He was red hot at ES last season, but still played like ass on the PP.

This just might be closer to who he is.

He's also just a really bad skater, and if he doesn't work hard on that in the offseason, it shows.

 

[Regal]

0 shots, -1 tonight. Makes more money than Marner and is even worse in the playoffs.

Technically he doesn’t make more yet

 

[Sykur]

It would be like giving Nicklas Backstrom or Henrik Sedin 3rd line grinders to play with.

Henrik Sedin WAS given 3rd line grinders to play with. The list is long: Trent Klatt, Jason King, Anson Carter.... before finally settling on Alex Burrows (who up until then was an undrafted journeyman who came up through the ECHL).

He turned all of them into 30 goal super studs. The problem was never the Sedins.

 

[Regal]

This is how he's played most of the last 4 years. He was red hot at ES last season, but still played like ass on the PP.

This just might be closer to who he is.

He's also just a really bad skater, and if he doesn't work hard on that in the offseason, it shows.

The weird thing is his skating was pretty decent when he started other than not being strong on his skates. His top end speed was good and he was pretty agile. He used to break up plays and quickly get up ice on the rush. And if he turned it over would fly back on the backcheck. But he only shows that in spurts the last few years and too often doesn’t move his feet at all