Elias Pettersson says he feels calm and ready for what comes next as the Canucks’ rebuild changes the culture and expectations around the team.
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Elias Pettersson said he’s in a good place heading into the next season as the Vancouver Canucks continue their rebuild.
Pettersson described his outlook as calm and relaxed, pointing to off-season conversations with the team’s new general manager, Ryan Johnson. Johnson said Pettersson is preparing hard and that the organization is working to provide an environment where he can feel excitement returning to work.
Pettersson said he discussed the future with Johnson, whom he has known a long time and called “a good guy.” Pettersson said his best performance comes when he feels like himself.
The team’s leadership and hockey operations staff are also described as emphasizing a culture change, with co-presidents Henrik and Daniel Sedin and head coach Manny Malhotra pushing the idea that culture is more than a buzzword.
Pettersson said the presence and standards of veterans are part of what he’s responding to, including Luke Schenn’s role in setting expectations and his experience battling against Brendan Gallagher.
The Canucks’ rebuild context includes last season’s struggles and Pettersson’s own difficult stretch, including a shooting drought that left him leading the club in scoring with 51 points. Pettersson also said he is working to close the gap between what the organization expected and what happened.
The team’s expectations for Pettersson include returning to the kind of production he has shown before, including the 30-goal plateau he reached three times, with a career-best 39 goals in 2022-23. The organization’s view is that his contract extension reflects belief in the version of his game it expects to see.
Pettersson also acknowledged a defensive dimension to his recent play, including that he led NHL forwards with 108 blocked shots in 2025-26. He said his focus going forward is on aligning his approach with the results the team wants.
The reporting also cited Brock Boeser as describing Pettersson as being in a good mental space and pointing to the new hockey operations group as people with hockey minds who expect a lot from the players.
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