Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet sends strong message to Elias Pettersson ahead of season opener

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Maverick Mitchell
October 9, 2024 (8:36)

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As the Vancouver Canucks are set kick off their regular season tonight against the Calgary Flames, head coach Rick Tocchet has sent a strong message to his star forward Elias Pettersson on what he expects out of him this year.

It is clear that the Vancouver Canucks' expectations to win this season have never been higher after going 50-23-9 and finishing first in the Pacific Division in 2023-2024. Now, it is up to the team to come together once again and the man leading the charge is head coach Rick Tocchet. He appeared on the Sportsnet 650's, 'Halford and Brough In the Morning show; to comment and go over and what he wants to see out his players.

Rick Tocchet sends message to Elias Pettersson ahead of Canucks season opener

«You look at anybody's career, and there's going to be down moments. After you have tough second half, how do you learn from it? What can I do that that doesn't happen again. Well, I've got to make sure I come in shape, my practice habits get better, I have to be able to dig in in certain situations, you've got to be mentally strong. These are all things athletes and players have to go through and I think that's something he's learning from last year. You've got to work on your game, which he does, he came into camp, he's trying to do the things we want. He's a key to our team, let's face it. He's going to get some matchups where, for me, I can expose the other team, and he's got to take advantage of it for us.»

In any other circumstance, Elias Pettersson's 89-point season last year would be viewed as a huge accomplishment, as it is no easy task to be an over point-per-game player in the NHL. But, considering how he ended the season, those numbers are widely considered to be a disappointment as his biggest criticism is that he struggled to produce when the games mattered the most. As stated above, head coach Tocchet believes 100% that he will be able to showcase his start of the year play for a full 82 game season.