The Canucks have taken a new direction when they first fired Bruce Boudreau to hire Rick Tocchet, but they kept going when they moved their captain Bo Horvat and announced a new turn within their team's structure and culture.
The conversations surrounding who gets a bigger leadership role have already started. Alternates were previously worn by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, J.T. Miller, and Tyler Myers. Head Coach Rick Tocchet recently added Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes to that group, stating that they expected either one to be carrying the C rather sooner than later.
Even though Quinn Hughes has shown a great ability to take on more responsibilities, Elias Pettersson has been a clear stand-out for quite a while and Tocchet isn't blind to what's going around him and the team. Here's how he responded when he was asked about Pettersson taking the lead in this team.
Elias Pettersson came into the league as a 19-year-old kid and he's definitely growing into a superstar in this league. We must give credit where credit is due, but it's hard to not mention Bruce Boudreau's impact on the young man. Everyone is well aware of their relationship, but the impact on him is extraordinary and we can only hope that Pettersson grows into the captain this team needs.
