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NHL Issues Major Announcement on Canucks Star Elias Pettersson and Several Other Centers Around the League
Photo credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Elias Pettersson has some work to do to return to the 100+ point player he was two seasons ago, but the stats say the Vancouver Canucks top center is among the league's best on the defensive side of the ice.
The Swedish star is already earning brownie points with his new head coach, and while he'll certainly be looking to have a bounce back season offensively, defensive play has not been Pettersson's problem.
Elias Pettersson named a top 10 defensive center in the NHL
RonoHockey, a creator of hockey data cards based on analytics, released a top ten ranking of the best defensive centers in the NHL.
Elias Pettersson managed to just barely make it into the rankings, earning the #10 spot.
Pettersson had a rough season, a secret to no fan of the league or the Canucks, but in spite of failing to show up offensively for much of the season, he remained a two way anchor for his club.
Worth mentioning, former Canuck Elias Lindholm also struggled in 2024-25, but was a strong enough defensive presence to earn the 6th rank among defensive centers.
Pettersson was ranked above top two way centers like Nico Hischier, Nick Suzuki, and Jack Eichel - the latter of whom finished 5th in Selke voting for the top two way center in the NHL.
Unsurprisingly, reigning Selke trophy winner Aleksander Barkov was named the top defensive center in the NHL as he chases his second straight Stanley Cup.
If the offense catches up to his defensive play, Pettersson should once again be among the league's top centers.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 6 | 2527 ANSWERS NHL Issues Major Announcement on Canucks Star Elias Pettersson and Several Other Centers Around the League Do you think Elias Petterson is a top ten defensive center? | ||
| Yes, and he should be higher | 319 | 12.6 % |
| Yes, fair ranking | 620 | 24.5 % |
| No, not quite but close | 818 | 32.4 % |
| No, not even close | 770 | 30.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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