A reunion with Manny Malhotra could be exactly what Elias Pettersson needs to get his game back on track.
Pettersson’s 2025-26 season got buried in the wreckage of a miserable Canucks year, but the bigger issue for the young defenceman was a sophomore slump. That part got lost in the broader team collapse, since nearly everyone on the roster faded to some degree. Still, Pettersson’s own dip was real.
The 22-year-old had earned his shot the hard way. After a strong first half with Abbotsford in the fall of 2024, the 2022 third-round pick forced his way into the NHL earlier than expected.
Once he got there, he looked like he belonged. He was calm, direct, and played with a bite that quickly made him a favourite with fans.
Last season, though, the same spark wasn’t always there. Pettersson wasn’t a disaster by any means, but his confidence seemed to wobble in a brutal defensive setup.
He posted an individual Corsi of 43.4%, and Vancouver was outscored 48-31 during his 5-on-5 minutes. Offensively, he finished with three goals and seven assists in 70 games, which fits the reality that he was never projected to be a major point producer.
What stood out more was the edge. In his rookie season, Pettersson had made a habit of getting right into opponents’ space and making himself a pain to play against. Last season, even though he led the Canucks’ defence corps with 136 hits, that constant, aggressive presence didn’t show up nearly as often.
That’s why Malhotra matters here. He was Pettersson’s first coach in North America, and he helped guide him to the NHL in the first place. Now he’s back in a position to influence the same player again, and Vancouver has every reason to hope that connection pays off a second time.
There’s also a fit on the ice that makes sense. Pettersson is a strong candidate to line up on a rugged third pair with Luke Schenn next season, and Schenn’s game offers a clear template.
Play within yourself. Finish checks.
Don’t blink when things get nasty.
The Canucks have already seen Malhotra help Pettersson reach another level once. They’d love to see him do it again.
In Other News...
Canucks Prospects Are Creating A Roster Crunch Vancouver Can't Ignore
The Canucks youth movement is starting to come with a catch. As the organization leans harder into prospects and young depth, the roster picture is getting tighter, because several players are moving toward the point where they can no longer be tucked safely away without waiver exposure. For a team trying to stay competitive while developing its next wave, that is the sort of detail that can quickly turn a promising pipeline into a difficult numbers game.
Victor Mancini, Elias Pettersson, Liam Ohgren and Zeev Buium are among the names expected to lose waiver exemption in the seasons ahead, depending on how many NHL games they play and where they stand contractually. Others, including Tom Willander and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, still have some breathing room for now, but the list of interesting future decisions keeps growing, with Kirill Kudryavtsev and Ilya Safonov also worth tracking as waiver-eligible options down the road. For Vancouver, the challenge is no longer just finding talent, it is finding enough room to keep it. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Facing A Make Or Break Year With Three Prospects
The Canucks are staring at a pivotal stretch with a small group of college prospects whose futures in the organization are far from settled. Daimon Gardner, Matthew Perkins and Aiden Celebrini have each taken the long route through NCAA hockey, and their draft pedigree and development paths give Vancouver a decent read on what they might become if things click. For now, though, the emphasis is on progression, because all three are still trying to turn encouraging flashes into something the team can justify bringing into the pro pipeline.
What makes the situation more pressing is the clock. Each player will need to take another step soon to keep Vancouver interested enough to offer an entry-level deal, and none of the three has made the choice easy based on current performance. Gardner, Perkins and Celebrini all bring different backgrounds and skill sets, but the common thread is the same: the Canucks have to decide whether the upside is worth waiting on, or whether this is another prospect cycle that fades without ever reaching Abbotsford, let alone Vancouver. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Schenn Returns As Canucks Try To Steady Their Young Blue Line
Luke Schenn is back in Vancouver for a third stint, and the Canucks are leaning on a familiar face to help steady a blue line that is still taking shape. The veteran defenseman signed a one-year deal and is expected to fill a depth role while bringing the kind of quiet reliability and penalty-kill work that has long made him useful to contending teams and rebuilding ones alike.
For the Canucks, the appeal goes beyond minutes on the ice. Schenns previous run with the club included a strong defensive pairing and a noticeable offensive bounce in the 2022-23 season, but this return is more about guidance than production. Vancouver wants its younger defenders to keep growing, and Schenn gives them a seasoned presence in the room while the organization sorts out how the rest of the back end will settle in. [Read more 🡒]