GM Patrik Allvin makes feelings known about $92,800,000 Canucks forward after his most disappointing performance last season

A lot of the Vancouver Canucks' success hinges on Elias Pettersson's form for the upcoming season. The 2024-25 campaign was a disappointing one for the Swedish forward, with a dip in production on the ice and off-field public fallout with J.T. Miller, which led to Miller's trade and put a big hole in their top six.

Pettersson's 45 points in 64 games were almost half of the 89 points in 82 games he got in the 2023-24 season. His breakthrough was two years back, when he scored 102 points. Now about to start the second year of his eight-year, $92.8 million contract, Pettersson is expected to lead the Vancouver offense as its top center.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin, at the GM's Meeting in Detroit, opened up on the conversations he has had with the Swede over the summer.

“He was very much turning the page and moving forward,” Allvin said. “He’s excited. He made a trip over here (in May) to meet with Adam and a couple of other players and he wants to take his game to another level.

As per Allvin, Pettersson has made the necessary changes to his game and is ready to take on the team's responsibility.

“I think every player learns what they need to do to be successful in the league,” Allvin added. “They tweak the way they do things in order to get better. Being a pro athlete today, you can’t just do the same things over and over.

"You want to find ways to get better and I think that’s the same thing with Elias, too. I think he has matured. I think he takes ownership (for his play) and he’s very excited to come back and compete with the guys.”

Pettersson, earlier in the offseason, disclosed that he had put on some weight and gotten stronger, changing his training routine to adapt to the physical nature of the NHL. Back in Vancouver, he's expected to feature in the Canucks' mini camp in Abbotsford this week.

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Patrik Allvin confident of leaders like Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko to come good

Elias Pettersson was restricted to just 64 games due to injury last season. Like him, another star from the previous year, Thatcher Demko, 2023-24 Vezina Trophy runner-up, was limited to just 23 starts. Allvin reinstated his faith in the two players and the management.

"If you look around the league at the way teams are constructed, every team needs their drivers and best players to lead the team," Allvin said. "Going through what we went through last year. ... I think a lot of guys learned from the adversity.

"And I know (coach) Adam (Foote) and the coaches have had leadership meetings in the summer here on Zoom, and I believe the guys are extremely hungry to come back because the belief (in the team) is there.”

Alongside the pair, the Canucks have the resources of one of the best defenseman in the league in the form of Quinn Hughes.

They also provided an extension to Brock Boeser and traded for Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers, giving them a core group of players. But the Canucks are yet to solve their depth issues, with no reinforcements to replace J.T. Miller's role in the lineup from last season.