Reeling from the toll a five-game losing streak is bound to take on a team, the Vancouver Canucks’ season continues to be a disappointment.
There’s been little to look forward to when it comes to Canucks games, especially since the franchise made it clear they’re headed for a rebuild. Even so, the hope was that the players would put up a fight. But if that was the expectation, fans were left sorely disappointed in their most recent loss to the Seattle Kraken.
Vancouver Canucks HC Wants Elias Pettersson to Rise to the Occasion
Whatever the team’s intention may have been at the start of the season is inconsequential right now; the news that the Canucks are rebuilding is out. The team’s management is open to offers for most of their players at this time. What Patrik Allvin wants right now is to secure as many assets as he can and hope for a better turn of events next season.
Tyler Myers is one of the players who has been caught in the trade rumour mill lately, with the Detroit Red Wings being one destination that has signalled interest in acquiring the veteran defenseman, and has put an offer on the table, too. Besides Myers, there are enough questions surrounding Vancouver’s highest-paid player, Elias Pettersson.
Pettersson is in the second year of his eight-year, $92.8 million contract. The forward’s contract is a massive financial liability for the team, and on the other end, it is bound to exert significant pressure on Pettersson to perform. Unfortunately, to make things worse for the Canucks, Pettersson has fallen short of expectations.
During the Canucks’ latest showdown against the Seattle Kraken, which they lost 5-1, Pettersson was benched during the final minutes. Foote’s decision to bench the team’s star player was rooted in the HC’s conviction that Pettersson can sincerely do much better.
“He’s got to be better and he knows that, he’s aware of that. We need more from him and he’s got to find it. … He knows he’s got to be better for us and I’m sure we’ll see that next game,” Foote said about Pettersson after the Canucks’ devastating loss.
The 27-year-old also realizes and respects Foote’s reasoning to keep him away from the ice in crunch time. “Coach is coaching to win, whatever he decides, I respect. I’ve got to be better… my number wasn’t called,” Pettersson admitted.
When a player commands the kind of salary that Pettersson does, there’s bound to be some extra scrutiny. However, over the last two seasons, the standout forward has lost the grit and bite he once brought to the table.
