Jim Rutherford Shares Another Update on Elias Pettersson, One We've all Been Waiting For
Photo credit: Clutch Points
Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford shared what he needs from Elias Pettersson in the offseason in order to bounce back in 2025-26.
After a tough 2024-25 season for a number of reasons including inconsistent play, off-ice drama and injuries, the Vancouver Canucks are looking to turn the page and focus on their goal of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026.
One player that the Vancouver Canucks desperately need to bounce back if they're going to have any success next season is Swedish forward Elias Pettersson, who has been mentioned in trade rumors since the first half of the 2024-25 campaign.
Jim Rutherford opens up on Elias Pettersson's struggles, need for bounce back year
During a recent interview on Canucks Central on Sportsnet 650 radio, Jim Rutherford, the team's President of Hockey Operations, opened up about the struggles Elias Pettersson faced this season and how they expect him to prepare this summer in order to bounce back, hopefully in a big way, during the 2025-26 season.
Rutherford said that Pettersson, who was dealing with a couple issues last summer, didn't have a good offseason, which hindered his preparation for the 2024-25 season, which then went on to affect how he played throughout the year, finishing with 45 points in 64 games.
The 76-year-old Rutherford went on to add that Elias Pettersson stayed in Vancouver for about ten days following the conclusion of the season and with his injuries now a thing of the past, they need him to have a good offseason and if he does, the organization is confident he'll be able to bounce back when the puck drops in October.
"With Petey, he didn't have a good off-season. Now, he was dealing with a couple of physical things where he didn't feel he couldn't work as hard as he normally would, and he's learned from that. It bit him this year, he had an off season, and he didn't have the strength and the preparation. Rutherford said.
He added, "He stayed in town a week to 10 days before he left town after our last game, and he was in here working out almost every day, so it was a very encouraging sign.
I do feel his injuries are behind him, so that's not going to be an excuse for the off-season. And if he has a good off-season, there's no doubt that he's going to bounce back to being the player that he's capable of being."
He added, "He stayed in town a week to 10 days before he left town after our last game, and he was in here working out almost every day, so it was a very encouraging sign.
I do feel his injuries are behind him, so that's not going to be an excuse for the off-season. And if he has a good off-season, there's no doubt that he's going to bounce back to being the player that he's capable of being."
The Vancouver Canucks committed a lot of money to Elias Pettersson and will be paying him $11.6 million annually until the end of the 2031-32 season, so they need him to return to being a 100-point player not only to justify the salary he's earning, but also for the team to have any chance of making it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next April.
Source: Canucks Central
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| POLL | ||
MAI 17 | 1376 ANSWERS Jim Rutherford Shares Another Update on Elias Pettersson, One We've all Been Waiting For Do you think Elias Pettersson will bounce back next season? | ||
| Yes | 745 | 54.1 % |
| No | 631 | 45.9 % |
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