Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet shows his true colours towards Elias Pettersson after season ends
Photo credit: Bob Frid - USA TODAY Sports
During Friday's season ending media availability, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet sent a strong message to Elias Pettersson heading into the offseason.
The Vancouver Canucks' 2024-25 season came to a close on Wednesday night as they lost their final game by a score of 4-1 at Rogers Arena, ending what was a very tough year for the organization on and off the ice.
Today, the team is meeting with the media to reflect on the season and look ahead to 2025-26 and one player everyone is curious about is Elias Pettersson, who the team is hoping will stick around in Vancouver to train this summer.
Rick Tocchet sends strong message to Elias Pettersson
While speaking with reporters, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, whose future with the team is up in the air, was asked about Elias Pettersson and what he hopes he'll do in the offseason in order to get ready for the 2025-26 campaign.
Tocchet told reporters that Elias Pettersson needs to change his training plan in the offseason and that his preparation has to get better heading into next year.
"The plan has to change. I don't think he can train the same way." Tocchet said according to Sportsnet's Brendan Batchelor.
He added, "His preparation has to get better. If you want to be a great player, you have to prepare. Almost an obsessive level of preparation."
He added, "His preparation has to get better. If you want to be a great player, you have to prepare. Almost an obsessive level of preparation."
The Canucks head coach went on to say that Elias Pettersson is starting to evolve as a player and as a person, which will need to continue in the years ahead because there's a lot of pressure and expectations placed on him.
"He's evolving as a person and as a player. Hopefully he's going to evolve even more. There's a lot of expectations and pressure on him." Tocchet said.
Pettersson, 26, finished the 2024-25 campaign with 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 64 games and hopefully with proper training this summer, he'll be able to return to being a 90-100 point player next season.
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