‘Pressure is good. It means you care. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t think too much about it.’ — Pettersson on struggling to score with no goals in 14 games
There is owning it, and then there’s showing it.
Being honest about it all won’t hurt him, or the perception of his level of dedication.
Fighting the puck and enduring scrutiny are hard enough, and any disconnect with the media in this hockey-mad market only muddles the mess. Pettersson has 11 goals in 54 games and is on pace for just 16. His 35 points are a light year away from the 89 he accumulated last season, and certainly from his career-high 102 points in 2022-23.
Those numbers only bring a natural pressure to produce for the league’s top rookie in 2018-19 and Calder Trophy winner. Add a mammoth eight-year, $92.80 million US contract extension and that $11.6 million annual salary cap hit is a lot to live up to.
Talk about pressure.
“Pressure is good. It means you care,” said Pettersson on Tuesday. “If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t think too much about it. I want to turn it around more than anyone. I appreciated the love (from fans) all the time, and after my comments from the Utah game (Feb.23).
“I missed a breakaway and was asked about it and how frustrating the season has been. I was really mad in the moment and said something I didn’t mean, and said the media is annoying. Some days it can be, but it’s the least thing making me play bad. I just wanted to make that clear.”
So, all good with the media?
“I’ve got no other choice,” laughed Pettersson.
Pettersson is a prime-time playmaker, but his hesitancy to shoot led to no shots Saturday in a 6-3 loss at Seattle. And in often double-clutching when he has a clean look, it proves that this struggle is real. Confidence is everything, and it’s waning.
“I think about it a lot,” admitted Pettersson. “To be honest, I haven’t been the way I want to be this year, and I have a high expectation of myself and so does the franchise. I’ll be the first one to tell you that, but it’s in the past.
“I wish we had more wins and I wish I had played a lot better, but I can’t dwell on that anymore. I’m not perfect, but I wish I was. We’ve got a good chance to make a push here and we’re trying to get better every day.”
“You can ask him, but I think I’ve got a real good relationship with Petey,” said Tocchet. “The one thing we’ve talked about is that he has to own it. There’s nothing you can do about the past. There are expectations on him and now he can only go forward.
“With the preparation of staying on the ice a lot more and talking to coaches, he’s doing more in the last 48 or 72 hours, he’s doing stuff that’s ‘wow’. That’s what we need from him. If he has a good 22 games for us, we’ll all forget about the ones before.
“I’ve seen players have average years and great playoffs. But don’t waste games. He has enough time to turn this thing around.”
Hughes likely game-time decision
He could be a game-time decision Wednesday to face the Anaheim Ducks to open a crucial four-game homestand. He is well enough to participate, but obviously not at his customary Grade-A best.
“I don’t want him to push it, and (practice) was a little bit of a pain,” said Tocchet. “It’s a tough break. It’s been like that for a while with Quinn and we’re going to have to manage it. I don’t think (his injury) is to a point where it’s threatening anything.
“There’s a little bit of pain, but we wouldn’t let him play if it was going to physically hurt him and become a long-term thing. Nobody is really 100 per cent at this time of year and he’s a competitor. We’re in a dog fight and he’s just that kind of guy.”
OVERTIME — Recalled right winger Jonathan Lekkeimaki skated on a practice line Tuesday with Drew O’Connor and Filip Chytil. He has 19 goals in 32 AHL games with Abbotsford by learning to play better along the walls and drive to inside of the ice.