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Pettersson is ‘unlikely’ to play Thursday as he rehabs upper-body injury. However, he will be on five-game road trip that starts Sunday.
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Published Dec 10, 2025 • 4 minute read
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Vancouver Canucks centre Elias Pettersson celebrates after scoring early against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Photo by Patrick Smith /Getty ImagesArticle content
There is nothing like a strong one-two punch down the middle of the NHL ice.
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If you don’t have it, it’s a gut-punch to aspirations of having a successful season.
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The Vancouver Canucks had an enviable deployment of J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat. Noodle on that in considering the current plight of centre ice by committee — grinding winger Drew O’Connor has gone from wing to the middle — amid injury setbacks for the last-place club.
The Miller-Pettersson-Horvat triumvirate was instrumental in a memorable COVID-paused 2019-20 season after the Canucks advanced to the Edmonton playoff bubble tournament experience by points percentage. They combined for 48 points (23-25) in 17 games, and Horvat struck for 10 goals.
The Canucks won a qualifying round over the Minnesota Wild, took out the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues, and almost advanced to the Western Conference final in a sensational seven-game slog against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Why does that all seem like so long ago?
Elias Pettersson battles Robert Thomas of the Blues for puck during a Jan. 27 matchup in St. Louis. Photo by Joe Puetz /AP
Fast forward and these Canucks are getting a dose of reality of being thin down the middle.
Filip Chytil continues to skate on his own in a long and slow recovery from his sixth concussion suffered Oct. 19 in Washington. Teddy Blueger suffered a knee injury in the same game and has yet to return from another injury that morphed into greater concerns.
Add Pius Suter leaving in free agency and it became a riddle in the middle to fill the voids.
The Canucks were hopeful Pettersson would practise Wednesday after missing two games with an upper-body ailment. He skated on his own earlier in the day, but is unlikely to face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at Rogers Arena. He will join the five-game, nine-day road trip that opens Sunday with a matinee in New Jersey.
Pettersson is tied for the team lead in scoring with 22 points (8-14) in 28 games. He has one goal in his last six outings, but before that had a run of a dozen points (4-8) in nine games. He also leads all NHL forwards with 51 blocked shots, and it will be interesting if he will maintain that bravado after the ailment rehab.
The injury could also affect the mechanics of his shot and a compete level because he’s not afraid to throw a hit or take one.
In the interim, it’s David Kampf, who would be a third-line centre on a good and healthy team, between Brock Boeser and Conor Garland on Thursday. O’Connor will centre Evander Kane and Kiefer Sherwood, quite the change from being a big grinding winger with offensive potential.
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Practice lines, pairings Wednesday at RA:
Boeser-Kampf-Garland.
Kane-O’Connor-Sherwood.
DeBrusk-Sasson-Karlsson.
Hoglander-Raty-Bains.
Hughes-Hronek.
E. Pettersson-Myers.
M. Pettersson-Willander.#Canucks
— Ben Kuzma 🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@benkuzma) December 10, 2025
O’Connor played centre growing up, and as he got older, switched between the middle and the wall to become more of winger in high school. He admits the two-way demands of an NHL centre position are taxing. Always hustling on offence and being strong on the backcheck.
O’Connor also had a run at centre in Pittsburgh, but Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Lars Elder were usually deployed by the Penguins.
“There wasn’t much of a demand for more centres,” O’Connor chucked Wednesday about the trio of Pittsburgh pivots. “You’re definitely working harder because you’re covering more ice, and sacrifice a little bit more on the offensive side, to make sure you’re playing sound defensively.
“And when you’re having a long D-zone shift, and then stuck down there, you’ve got to find a way to get back up ice. It can be a bit challenging, but it’s something I enjoy. You’re more in the game.”
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Canucks head coach Adam Foote said O’Connor is doing a credible job after being thrust into the top-six mix.
“Entering your zone, you’re playing more down-low, and he’s used to it,” said Foote. “We’re working with him. He’s won some faceoffs and is a big body, so we’re going to start him with Kane. It could change, depending on matchup, but he did pretty good.”
The Canucks could come to the realization that their approach requires a re-build and not a re-tool, with Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood commanding considerable trade interest. And because the Pacific Division is no longer stalked with suspect teams — front-running Anaheim Ducks, Utah Mammoth and San Jose Sharks are examples of what good drafting, trades and patience can produce — this franchise may have hit the fork in the what-do-we-do? road.
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In the Ducks, Mammoth and Sharks, there’s a combination of veteran savvy plus youthful exuberance and execution.
That is why the Canucks chasing a wild-card position has become a giant leap over eight teams. Here’s what the Anaheim, Utah and San Jose have in their one-two punch down the middle:
DUCKS
Leo Carlsson, 20, 6-foot-3, 208 lbs., second overall 2023 draft, GP:30 G:16, A:22, Pts:38.
Mason McTavish, 22, 6-foot, 219 lbs., third overall 2021 draft, GP:30, G:7, A:13, Pts:20.
MAMMOTH
Nick Schmaltz, 29, 6-foot, 184 lbs., 20th overall, Chicago, 2014 draft, GP:31, G:11, A:15, Pts:26.
Logan Cooley, 21, 6-foot, 191 lbs., third overall 2022 draft, GP:29, G:14, A:9, Pts:23.
SHARKS
Macklin Celebrini, 19, 6-foot, 190 lbs., first overall 2024 draft, GP:31, G:15, A:28, Pts:43.
Alexander Wennberg, 31, 6-foot-2,190 lbs., 14th overall, Columbus, 2013 draft, GP:31, G:6, A:9, Pts:15.
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