Elias Pettersson Shows Signs of Life for Sweden at the Olympics - But Can He Truly Bounce Back?
After a quiet start to the 2026 Winter Olympics, Elias Pettersson finally made his presence felt - and then some - in Sweden’s critical preliminary round win over Slovakia. The 27-year-old forward, who’s been under the microscope for both club and country, broke through with two goals that helped lift Sweden to a much-needed victory.
It wasn’t just the goals - it was the way they came. One was a slick five-hole finish off a Filip Forsberg feed that broke a 2-2 tie late in the second.
The other, a backdoor tap-in from Lucas Raymond midway through the third, stood up as the game-winner. Both were classic examples of Pettersson’s high-end hockey sense: finding soft spots in coverage, reading the play a step ahead, and finishing with precision.
But here’s the thing - even in a two-goal performance, Pettersson wasn’t exactly driving the bus. He capitalized on strong play from his linemates more than he dictated the pace himself.
That’s been a recurring theme in his recent seasons, both internationally and with the Vancouver Canucks. The flashes are still there - the hands, the vision, the finish - but the consistency and impact shift-to-shift?
That’s been harder to come by.
A Quiet Start, Then a Burst
Through Sweden’s first two Olympic games, Pettersson was a ghost on the scoresheet and nearly invisible on the ice. Just one shot on goal in each of those games against Italy and Finland, and limited minutes overall. To his credit, he did ring iron against Italy and was denied on a pair of near-goals - one stopped by a questionable no-call on a hook, the other by a highlight-reel save from Italy’s Damian Clara (who was injured on the play and had to leave the game).
And while no one on Sweden looked particularly sharp against Finland, Pettersson’s quiet play stood out more because of the expectations that follow him. He’s been a key piece on Sweden’s penalty kill - a unit that’s allowed just one power play goal through three games - but when you’re wearing the Tre Kronor and have Pettersson’s résumé, more is expected. Against Slovakia, he finally delivered.
The Bigger Picture: What Happened to Pettersson the Play-Driver?
The question now is whether this performance is a sign of things to come - or just a blip. Because the version of Elias Pettersson we’ve seen over the past two seasons isn’t the one who once drew comparisons to Pavel Datsyuk.
It’s hard to remember now, but when Pettersson burst onto the NHL scene, he was a revelation. He was a point-per-game player in the 2020 playoffs.
He hit 102 points in 2022-23 at age 24. He was the kind of player who didn’t just score - he tilted the ice.
That version of Pettersson hasn’t been around for a while.
Since then, his production has taken a nosedive. Gone are the 30-goal seasons.
Now, he’s struggled to even sniff a 20-goal pace. His points-per-game rate has dropped to 0.70 - a steep fall for someone once considered among the league’s elite young centers.
And it’s not just the numbers. The eye test backs it up.
He doesn’t look like a player in a slump. He looks like a player who’s lost the confidence and edge that once made him so dangerous.
Trying to Find a Comparable - And Coming Up Short
When a player falls off this dramatically, the natural instinct is to search for a comparable. Who else has gone from elite to average this quickly, and at such a young age?
Jonathan Huberdeau comes to mind, but his decline came after a trade and at age 29 - not 26. Claude Giroux had a dip in production after a 93-point season at 24, but he never dropped off the way Pettersson has, and his worst stretch came after offseason surgery.
The closest statistical match? Alexander Semin.
At 24, Semin and Pettersson had nearly identical point-per-game marks - 1.27 for Semin, 1.28 for Pettersson. Both followed that up with another strong season at 25.
Then came the cliff. Semin’s production dropped at 26 and 27, just like Pettersson’s, though not quite as sharply.
Semin did bounce back briefly at 28, posting a point-per-game pace in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season after signing with the Carolina Hurricanes. But the resurgence was short-lived.
Injuries piled up. Two years into a five-year deal, he was bought out.
A brief stint in Montreal followed, but after just 15 games, his NHL career was over.
So is Pettersson on the same path? Not exactly.
Why the Semin Comparison Doesn’t Stick
Sure, the numbers might line up, but the players don’t. Pettersson’s defensive game is far more well-rounded.
He’s been one of Sweden’s top penalty killers at the Olympics, and in Vancouver, he’s consistently among the league leaders in blocked shots by forwards. That’s not the profile of a player mailing it in.
For all the criticism Pettersson has received about his effort or body language, the numbers suggest a player still engaged - just struggling to find his offensive rhythm.
Semin, on the other hand, was often criticized for his inconsistency and perceived lack of effort - and not without reason. Pettersson’s dip feels different.
It’s not about attitude. It’s about execution.
And that’s what makes this situation so tricky. There’s no clear historical blueprint for a player with Pettersson’s talent and early-career success falling off this hard, this fast - and still being young enough to turn it around.
What’s Next - For Sweden and the Canucks
Sweden will be hoping this version of Pettersson - the one who scores timely goals and plays with fire - sticks around for the rest of the tournament. They’ll need him if they’re going to make a serious run at a medal.
As for the Canucks, the stakes are even higher. If their rebuild is going to gain any real traction, they need Pettersson to either re-establish himself as a foundational piece or regain enough value to become a meaningful trade chip. Right now, he’s somewhere in between.
The two-goal performance against Slovakia was a step in the right direction. But for Pettersson, the real test isn’t whether he can still flash brilliance. It’s whether he can make it the norm again.