Canucks coach Manny Malhotra says Elias Pettersson is playing with joy again, and the numbers back him up as Vancouver heads to Edmonton tonight.
It's been a bumpy road for the Swedish center. There were rough stretches, plenty of questions about his consistency, and just last week a Pettersson-for-Byfield trade pitch involving the Kings that dragged his name into the rumor mill.
So when Malhotra talked about him before Thursday's game, people listened. "He's just playing with joy," the coach said. "He enjoys coming to the rink and is happy to be on the ice. He's finding the fun in the game again. He's engaged and has a lot of spirit."
That's a coach talking about attitude, not production. Malhotra sounds more encouraged by the energy than by anything on the scoresheet.
Still, the production is there. Pettersson has 18 points, four goals and 14 assists, and he leads the Canucks in scoring.
The detail that stands out is the 24 blocked shots, the most of any forward in the NHL. A star center who throws his body in front of pucks is a player who's bought in.
Thursday was a quiet night by his standards. He had no shot and no point in the 6-2 loss at Winnipeg, and he finished a minus-2, but he still delivered three hits and won 16 of his 23 faceoffs.
Why Malhotra's player-first approach matters in Vancouver
Malhotra has been open about how he runs his room. Knowing what motivates each player, he believes, matters as much as the systems.
"You have to get to know the guys and know what makes them tick to understand how they learn the game," he said. He also described it as a lot of managing personalities.
That's easier to preach when the team is winning, and Vancouver isn't. The Canucks are 3-14-1 and have lost four straight, and Malhotra's recent message that appeared aimed at Kevin Lankinen showed he isn't shy about pushing buttons.
With the rebuild underway, a happy and engaged Pettersson is the one thing in this lineup worth building around. Wins are another matter, and those have been scarce.
The Canucks get another chance tonight in Edmonton, where Malhotra will find out whether the joy travels.
Quick hits
MINNESOTA WILD: Kirill Kaprizov put up four points as the Wild beat the Sharks 4-1 and became the fastest team in NHL history to 1,000 wins, Michael Russo reports. Not a bad night's work.
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CALGARY FLAMES: The Flames' five-game winning streak ended at the Saddledome. The Ducks rallied to win 5-3, with Cutter Gauthier scoring the go-ahead goal.
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SAN JOSE SHARKS: Macklin Celebrini tied it for the Sharks in Minnesota, but they fell 4-1. That's four straight losses now, and the questions are piling up.
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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Zachary Werenski scored again, but the road game got away from Columbus in a 5-2 loss at Buffalo.
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BUFFALO SABRES: Josh Norris scored twice as the Sabres handled the Blue Jackets 5-2 at home. Buffalo looked in control of this one.
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Should the Canucks build their rebuild around Elias Pettersson?
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