If you’re trying to understand the Canucks’ uneven season to date, look no further than their highest paid player.
In 2022-23, his top skating burst was measured at 37.5 km/h, which put him in the NHL’s 94th percentile. He got over 35 km/h twice that season, but more notably he got over 32 km/h 153 times over the course of the season.
That last figure is notable because even though he had a pretty-quick top burst last season — topping out at 36.2 km/h — he got over 32 km/h just 108 times. That’s a pretty big year-over-year decrease.
He mentioned at the end of last season he had dealt with some knee tendinitis in the second half, so if he wasn’t feeling totally comfortable in the run out of the season, it does make sense that he wasn’t accelerating as much.
This decline in velocity has carried through to this season: Pettersson hasn’t reached 35 km/h once this season. In fact, his top speed burst has been 34.7 km/h, which is below the league average of 35.6 km/h. He has clocked over 32 km/h 54 times this season, which is roughly on pace with last season’s total.
A source told Postmedia that Pettersson isn’t dealing with an injury this year, so his reduced top speed is a bit of a mystery. Pettersson has never been one to admit in-season to dealing with injuries, so an explanation from him hasn’t exactly been forthcoming.
He is being paid $11.6 million a season now. The Canucks, and their fans, need to see him earn those dollars.
Let’s take a look at how else he’s struggling this season…
2
Further to his decline in skating speed has been a decline in shots on goal. This season, he is averaging about two shots on goal per game.
Last season, it was 2.5 goals per game. Two seasons ago, it was 3.2 shots per game.
No wonder his scoring has dried up.
17
Pettersson’s overall shot total is way down — and it’s actually down even more than you think, given 17 of his shots on goal this season have come off tips.
Tip shots are from pucks that were originally fired by someone else, but the player alters the trajectory by using his stick to deflect the puck’s course.
It’s quite the skill, of course, and not one to be frowned upon.
But you’d like to see a player use it to add to their shot total, not replace it.
In each of the past two seasons, Pettersson managed 22 tips over the whole season. Again, that he’s already near that total isn’t a bad thing in isolation, but when we take it as part of the broader picture, it suggests a shift in his overall playing style.
0.15
So far this season, Pettersson is firing just 0.15 slap shots per game, half his rate from last season and just one-quarter of his rate from two years ago.
Slap shots are down across the league in general, but given how often he was able to use his slap shot on power-play one-timers, it’s a weapon that he was using effectively, despite the overall league trend.
Teams do seem to have figured out how to defend his one-timer, so it’s not a huge surprise it’s a weapon that has left his arsenal.
116
Pettersson is 116th in scoring in the NHL as of Thursday.
Two seasons ago, he was 10th. Even last year with his late-season swoon, he was still 19th.
33
Let’s finish up by taking a quick look at this three-game winning streak.
That’s high for them.
But the good news was that Demko played well, looking just about how he’s been in past seasons. He was steady in the net. There are still some small technique concerns, such as how he is sealing on the ice, but against the Predators the Canucks did need him to make a couple big saves and he delivered in that regard.