Embarrassing Stat Emerges Showing The Canucks Traded the Wrong Guy

Elias Pettersson is in the spotlight in Vancouver, perhaps more than any other NHL player. Despite his high contract, he has not done a lot to quiet his critics.

His lackluster performance with Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off and his seeming indifference to his scoring drought have done little more than fuel the fire.

The worry is valid. Elias Pettersson has only one goal in his last 20 games and is on a pace for 49 points.

With the no-trade clause of his $11.6 million-per-year contract taking effect on July 1, whether he can return to what he accomplished in 2022-23 is an open question.

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet has not been shy about assigning blame, pointing to Pettersson's hesitation with the puck.

The statistics justify him, Pettersson averages only 3.85 shot attempts per game, a precipitous decline from almost six attempts two seasons ago, when he scored 39 goals.

Tocchet pointed to a hesitating moment in the Canucks' recent 2-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club.

With seconds left, Pettersson hesitated on a pass from Filip Chytil, holding the puck for too long before unleashing a soft shot that never made it to the net.

The hesitation is a trend, as he's now averaging 2.5 seconds to shoot, compared to 1.5 seconds in 2022-23.

Pettersson embarrassingly has less shots than Miller has points

Since the Canucks dealt JT Miller, he has been playing considerably better than Pettersson, with 12 points to Pettersson's eight shots on goal in this same amount of time.

Leadership is all about coming through in the clutch. Up to now, the Canucks are still waiting for Pettersson to come through and get the job done.

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