Why The 4 Nations Face-Off Could Act As A Reset For Canucks Elias Pettersson

There has been a lot of noise surrounding Elias Pettersson this season. The Vancouver Canucks center is underperforming based on his contract, has been involved in trade rumours and had to deal with a significant locker room rift involving J.T. Miller. Overall, it has been a challenging season for the Swedish center, who enters the 4 Nations break with 34 points in 49 games and is on pace for 53 points in the season.

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While most players will get the next week and a half off, Pettersson will be headed to Montréal and Boston to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off. He will be part of a loaded Swedish team that features some of the best players in the NHL, including William Nylander, Rasmus Dahlin, and Filip Forsberg. For Pettersson, this will be his first opportunity to represent his country internationally since 2019, when, after winning the Calder Trophy, he flew to Slovakia to participate in the World Championship.

“Yeah, will be good,” said Pettersson after Vancouver’s 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. “Both the player and the fans, it’s been a long time coming for a tournament like that. I’m very honoured to be able to represent Sweden.”

While the 4 Nations Face-Off will be a competitive tournament, it could be used as a reset for Pettersson. It is essentially an opportunity to relax and enjoy playing hockey with players from his home country. Using the tournament as a reset is a sentiment that Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet agrees with, as he wants to see his number one center have a strong tournament.

“I just want him to have fun,” said Tocchet. “I know it’s a serious tournament. I mean, everyone wants to win; it’s serious. I want him to go represent his country and go have fun with his countrymen. Just have fun. Try stuff. Yeah, everybody wants to win this tournament, but it’s what, three or four games? I just want him to go out there and have some fun. Hang out with his buddies and rejuvenates his whole demeanour. Today, I thought he just was, I don’t know, like he had some fun. And I think he’s got to understand that pressure is fun sometimes.”

The mental side of hockey and sports in general is rarely discussed. Although most players are multi-million dollar athletes, they aren’t immune to stressful situations both at and away from the rink. While the tournament itself will produce some stressful moments, just getting away from all the noise in Vancouver for the next two weeks could be exactly what Pettersson needs to reset himself.

If Vancouver is going to qualify for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need Pettersson to kick his game into high gear. The Canucks have 27 games left, which includes multiple matchups with the Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, and Winnipeg Jets, who enter the break ranked first, second and fourth in the conference. The fight for a playoff spot won’t be easy, but if Pettersson can use the tournament as a reset, fans in Vancouver should find themselves waiving towels at Rogers Arena in late April.

The 4 Nations Face-Off starts Wednesday, February 12, when Canada takes on Sweden. The game will feature two Canucks as Pettersson will take on Tocchet, who is an assistant coach for Team Canada. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 pm PT and can viewed on Sportsnet.

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