Pettersson And Boeser Are Closing In On Canucks History

As Elias Pettersson stands on the brink of breaking several Vancouver Canucks power-play records, the 2026-27 season is set to be a pivotal moment in his illustrious career.

Elias Pettersson is lined up to make a serious dent in the Vancouver Canucks’ power-play record book in 2026-27, with three different milestones within reach if he keeps piling up production with the man advantage.

Pettersson already moved up to ninth all-time in power-play points during the 2025-26 season, collecting his 166th on March 24, 2026. He ended that year with 172, leaving him just five shy of Alex Edler’s franchise mark of 177.

From there, the climb gets steeper but still very much in play. Pettersson has topped 20 power-play points in all but two seasons of his NHL career, and another 19 in 2026-27 would vault him to 191, which would move him past Edler, Stan Smyl, Tony Tanti and Quinn Hughes and into fifth place in Canucks history.

The assist side of the ledger is also there for the taking, though it may take a stronger season to get there. Pettersson enters 2026-27 with 110 career power-play assists, good for ninth in team history.

He is 13 behind J.T. Miller for sole possession of eighth, and a 25-assist season would push him all the way to fifth.

That kind of year would see him pass Edler, Dennis Kearns and Trevor Linden along the way.

He could also crack the top 10 in power-play goals. Pettersson has 62 career power-play goals, leaving him four short of Greg Adams for 10th.

Three more would move him ahead of Bo Horvat into ninth, and eight would put him past Pavel Bure for eighth. He has reached at least eight power-play goals before, but not since the 2023-24 season.

Brock Boeser has his own pair of milestones looming. He finished 2025-26 tied with Todd Bertuzzi for fifth in Canucks history with 79 power-play goals, and one more would give him that spot outright.

That would also put him 17 behind Trevor Linden’s fourth-place total of 97. Boeser’s best single-season total on the power play is 16, set in 2023-24, so the next jump will require a big push.

Boeser is also tied for 10th in power-play points, finishing last season with 165 to match Miller. One more point would give him sole possession of that spot. After that, the next names ahead of him are Pettersson at 172 and Edler at 177, with Smyl’s 181 sitting just beyond that if Boeser can match his career average of 16.5 power-play points per season.

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