The Vancouver Canucks have entered their two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, and they have multiple members of their team representing their countries at the best-on-best tournament, with Kevin Lankinen playing for Team Finland, coach Rick Tocchet being one of the assistant coaches for Team Canada, and Quinn Hughes would have played for the USA but sadly was unable to play due to an injury. But of the players participating in the tournament, the player that will benefit the most from the event is Elias Pettersson.
A Break From Vancouver
This season has not been one to write home about for Pettersson. His lack of production since he signed his contract last season has caused fans to question whether or not he should be on the team, along with his toxic relationship with former teammate J.T. Miller becoming public knowledge to both the media and fans. Pettersson also on several occasions this season has not looked like he has been enjoying himself while he is playing. While he has been playing better since Miller got traded and had a beautiful assist in the Canucks’ win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, a break for Pettersson from the Vancouver market will be a big benefit to him as he prepares for the last 27 games of the regular season.
Participating in this tournament will be a great way for Pettersson to focus his attention elsewhere for a short period of time. He won’t have to think about all the outside noise that has come from Vancouver this season and will have the ability to focus on something different that means a lot to him and his country. Add onto the fact that every game in the tournament will pretty much be do-or-die, Pettersson will be playing meaningful playoff-type games before the playoffs even begin. If he can give Sweden a great performance at this tournament, then he will feel great about his game and won’t be nervous about making mistakes, giving him the luxury of playing free and playing his brand of hockey once he returns to Vancouver. If the Canucks can get a happy and confident Pettersson back for their final stretch of the season, that will be a gigantic boost for their team.
Learning From Other Players
While playing for Sweden, Pettersson will have the opportunity to play with some of the greatest players from around the NHL. He will be learning from veterans like Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson while playing with excellent forwards like William Nylander and Jesper Bratt. By playing with these players and being around them for these next 10 days, Pettersson has the chance to learn so much and retain plenty of information that maybe he didn’t have prior to the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off. He will also get the chance to play on a line with players who are the best from his country and could learn a lot of on-ice skills from them that he can take back to Vancouver.
Related: Canucks’ Quinn Hughes Will Not Play For Team USA at 4 Nations Face-Off
He will also be more comfortable being around a group of hockey players who speak the same first language that he does. Pettersson is more of a quiet person who likes to keep to himself, but entering a room full of people who are from his country will make him feel a lot more comfortable and perhaps come out of his shell a little bit more. With him being more comfortable and being in a locker room full of people that he can communicate with in his first language, he will have a much better time creating chemistry with his new teammates. That factor will without a doubt help him produce points and help create offence for a Swedish team that could be a dark horse to win the entire tournament.
Pettersson has not had the best season by his standards. Whether that is his fault or not, it doesn’t matter. But this pause will allow him to play for Team Sweden and learn from some of the best players in the NHL, and also take a break from the chaos that has followed him in Vancouver. After a week of learning from new teammates, and an opportunity to press the restart button on his season, he will have the chance to be the offensive leader in Vancouver that we all know he is capable of being.
