By The Canadian Press

‘I need to be better’: Pettersson aims to rediscover his game for Vancouver Canucks

Mar 2, 2026 | 1:39 PM

VANCOUVER — It’s been two years since Elias Pettersson inked a whopping eight-year, US$92.8-million extension with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Swedish centre admits he hasn’t been the franchise star expected of such a deal.

“I haven’t lived up to expectations of the contract, and I’ll be the first one to say it,” Pettersson said.

“Obviously I wish I would be different; I’d have played better, a lot more points. But it is what it is. I’m just trying to play a good game tonight and see what happens.”

Pettersson, 27, heads into Monday’s tilt with the Dallas Stars with 13 goals and 35 points over 51 games this season.

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He showed flashes of solid play with Sweden’s Olympic team, but hasn’t scored in his last 13 NHL appearances.

The marquee forward’s disappointing play took the spotlight in Vancouver’s 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, with Canucks head coach Adam Foote benching Pettersson for the second half of the third period.

“(Foote) saw what was best for the team to try and win the game. And I respect his decision,” Pettersson said of the move. “And I need to be better.”

The coach believes his No. 1 centre will bounce back against the Stars.

“I know that when I played, if someone took my little ice time, if I didn’t have it, the next game, I’d be coming out with vengeance,” Foote said. “And I know Petey will respond the right way tonight.”

Getting Pettersson back to his game is all about habits, he added.

“We’re here to help him and guide him,” Foote said. “And he’s been open to all that. He’s had a great attitude with it.”

Picked fifth overall by Vancouver in the 2017 draft, Pettersson is in his eighth NHL season.

He burst into the league with 28 goals and 66 points in the 2018-2019 campaign and earned the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. He went on to post a career-high performance in the 2022-23 season with 39 goals and 102 points.

Pettersson has struggled since.

Last season, he was plagued with injuries and played just 64 games, tallying 15 goals and 45 points as the Canucks missed the playoffs.

There was optimism in the fall that both the athlete and the team could rebound this season, but both continue to flounder.

Heading into Monday night’s game, Vancouver sat last in the NHL standings with a 18-34-7 record, 10 points below the 31st-place St. Louis Blues and 22 points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

The season as a whole has been difficult, Pettersson said.

“It sucks losing,” he said. “And we’re last in the league. It’s a terrible feeling, but I’m just trying to play a good game tonight and take it from there.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press