NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently suggested that Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson may be struggling mentally with the pressures of playing in a market as intense as Vancouver. Friedman hinted that Pettersson is “well aware of everything that is said about him,” and this constant awareness might be contributing to the massive swings in his performance. How big of a problem is this? Is it so bad that the team and the player might have to consider their options?
There Is a Bigger Question Surrounding Elias Pettersson and the Canucks
For fans wondering if the Canucks and Pettersson would look at parting ways because the market is hard on him, the answer is probably no. This is an elite athlete who is struggling in a hockey market and it’s not incredibly abnormal to hear of this sort of thing. In hockey cities like Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, the fans live, eat, sleep, and breathe the success and failures of the team. That comes with some negatives, but also several positives.
The question becomes whether Pettersson can thrive more when things are doing well, or if his struggles when things aren’t great result in a net positive or net negative in production.
When asked how Pettersson should deal with criticism of his play and dealing with heavily invested fans who aren’t always kind, analyst Ray Ferraro responded, “If this stuff bothers Pettersson, it’s easy to say just don’t read it. But, just think about how often you pick up your phone and read something?” He added, that the player doesn’t need the media to tell him that he’s had a good or bad night. The player already knows if he’s playing well or not. Ferraro admits it’s too easy to dig into your phone and you just can’t look at it. Nobody writes in to agree with you. “Nobody’s writing in to say you tried hard tonight.”
“The solution is, just don’t care, good or bad.”
There Is a Bigger Question Surrounding Elias Pettersson and the Canucks
Pettersson is an elite talent, but his inconsistency has led some to question whether signing him to a massive contract extension was a mistake. Pettersson has eight more seasons on his deal at $11.6 million per season. He’s among the highest-paid players in the NHL. His struggles have fueled speculation about potential underlying issues, but Friedman seems to be pointing to a mental battle more than anything else.
Pettersson has shown flashes of his dominant form, leading Friedman to believe that he’s on the verge of turning things around. However, the question remains whether the ups and downs that come with playing in a market like Vancouver might become a recurring issue for the superstar.
While Friedman isn’t suggesting it’s time for Pettersson and the Canucks to part ways, he may be teasing the idea that the player, team, and fans need to adjust to their expectations. The rewards for keeping a player like Pettersson are immense, but so are the risks of inconsistency. To think he’s going to be great all the time when he’s uber-sensitive to what’s said about him might not be realistic.
Next: The Good, Bad & Ugly in Maple Leafs’ 5-2 Win Over Lightning
