The Vancouver Canucks’ season continues to spiral. Sitting last in the Pacific Division and at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 15-19-3 record, Vancouver is searching for answers after a 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Amid the struggles, Canucks star forward Elias Pettersson returned to the lineup and finally addressed one of the biggest changes the team has faced this season, the departure of longtime teammate Quinn Hughes.
Canucks’ Elias Pettersson Breaks Silence on Quinn Hughes-Wild Trade
Pettersson made his return Saturday after missing eight games with an undisclosed injury. During his absence, the Canucks dealt Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on December 12 in a blockbuster move that brought back forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Öhgren, defenseman Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick.
Before taking the ice against San Jose, Pettersson shared his thoughts on losing Hughes. “Quinn is Quinn, we all know how good he is. Tough to lose him,” Pettersson said. “Friend for a long time for me, but it’s a business at the end of the day. We’ve got to accept […] the return we got, the players are looking good, so just turn the page and move forward.”
They spent seven seasons together with the Canucks before the start of this season. Pettersson declined to go into detail about his injury but admitted it affected his shooting and caused significant discomfort. “There was a lot of pain trying to shoot the puck, but it feels good now,” he said. “You don’t really know until you get back on the ice. It’s in the past now.”
He is also encouraged by what he’s seen from the retooled roster. Since the Hughes trade, Vancouver went 4-1-0 on a five-game Eastern road trip, with Buium, Rossi, and Öhgren making immediate impacts.
“Obviously, it’s a big change since the last time I played,” Pettersson said. “But the new guys have been looking good… The road trip was great, and we played some solid hockey. We just have to build on that.”
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Saturday’s game also marked a personal milestone for Pettersson, who appeared in his 500th career NHL game. He became the 29th player in franchise history to reach that mark. He also joins Brock Boeser, who leads all active Canucks with 588 games.
While his return didn’t result in a win, Vancouver will look to regroup quickly as they prepare to face the Seattle Kraken on Monday.
