Elias Pettersson will never have to play with Ilya Mikheyev again.
If Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin accomplished nothing else in the 2024 offseason, he at least ensured that his franchise forward wouldn鈥檛 have to play with the eternally snakebitten Mikheyev in the 2024-25 season.
The maneuvering started in late June, when Allvin made a cap-dump trade, spending a second-round pick to to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for a fourth-round pick. That cleared the cap space necessary to go shopping in free agency for a replacement.
The one thing Allvin doesn鈥檛 do is half measures. Instead of just adding one winger in free agency, Allvin added four: Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood, and Daniel Sprong.
When those four are added to the wingers already in the organization, the Canucks now have enviable winger depth, which should make their forwards a problem for opposing teams . The question is, which of those many wingers will wind up with Elias Pettersson?
With the assumption that Brock Boeser will continue to ride shotgun with J.T. Miller, let鈥檚 break down the other candidates to play on Pettersson鈥檚 wing:
Jake DeBrusk (LW)
There鈥檚 an obvious answer to the question of who will play with Pettersson: the guy they explicitly to play with Pettersson.
The Canucks鈥� most pressing need in free agency was a winger for Pettersson and they got who they aimed for in Jake DeBrusk. The former Boston Bruin is a two-way possession beast, who has flirted with 30 goals in the past. He has the skill and finish to form chemistry with a playmaker like Pettersson, while also playing the straight-ahead, hard-forechecking, north-south game that Rick Tocchet loves.
While there鈥檚 a chance DeBrusk ends up with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser, that鈥檚 not what general manager Patrik Allvin had in mind when he signed him.
鈥淚 envision him starting with Petey,鈥� said Allvin on July 1.
Ostensibly a left winger, DeBrusk has played a significant amount at right wing as well, especially this past season. He most frequently played on the right wing on a line with Brad Marchand, a natural left winger, and Charlie Coyle at centre.
The upside of DeBrusk鈥檚 versatility is that he can potentially fit with any other third linemate the Canucks want to try with him and Pettersson. Of course, the Canucks would likely prefer to play him where he鈥檚 at his most comfortable on the left side after signing him to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract.
He would definitely be on the left wing if he played with Miller and Boeser, something that could definitely happen this season, even if he starts training camp with Pettersson.
Nils H枚glander (LW)
Nils H枚glander was Pettersson鈥檚 second most-frequent linemate last season after Mikheyev. The pint-sized power forward worked his way up from the fourth line thanks to his tenacity and his knack for putting the puck in the net but that latter skill failed him late in the season and in the playoffs.
In addition, H枚glander never seemed to fully earn Tocchet鈥檚 trust defensively, so he rarely played true top-six minutes, even when he was on Pettersson鈥檚 wing. Instead, he was often benched at key moments late in games.
In the playoffs, H枚glander was tenth among regular Canucks forwards in ice time at 5-on-5 and was even a healthy scratch for two games of their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.
All that is to say, H枚glander鈥檚 spot alongside Pettersson isn鈥檛 particularly secure.
That said, H枚glander and Pettersson were very good together last season. The duo had a 58.0% corsi at 5-on-5 compared to a 50.8% for Pettersson when he didn鈥檛 have H枚glander on his wing. That puck possession led to outscoring the opposition 23-to-13 when they were on the ice together at 5-on-5.
If DeBrusk plays left wing, H枚glander鈥檚 natural position, that would be an obstacle but H枚glander actually played a decent amount at right wing in Sweden. It wouldn鈥檛 be too much of a surprise to see the Canucks try a line of DeBrusk - Pettersson - H枚glander to start training camp.
Daniel Sprong (RW)
Daniel Sprong doesn鈥檛 just have back-to-back 40+ point seasons; he has back-to-back 40+ point seasons while averaging 12 minutes or less in ice time.
That鈥檚 because Sprong can score at not just a top-six rate but an elite rate, averaging 1.26 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 over the last two seasons. That鈥檚 good for 11th in the NHL in that timespan. Sprong has a great shot, soft hands, and the poise to use both to pick apart a goaltender.
The appeal of putting a player with on a line with an elite playmaker like Pettersson is immediately apparent. Combine that with a speedy, two-way, physical winger like DeBrusk on the other side and this is starting to sound like an ideal line.
There鈥檚 just one issue: Sprong has historically been . His teams have bled shots and chances against at an eye-boggling rate with Sprong on the ice despite typically being heavily sheltered.
That鈥檚 not going to fly on a team coached by Rick Tocchet, . He had a talk with Tocchet before signing in Vancouver and he said that conversation made his decision to sign with the Canucks a 鈥渘o-brainer.鈥�
If Sprong can earn Tocchet鈥檚 trust and he gets some help from strong two-way players like Pettersson and DeBrusk, maybe he can finally play in a legitimate top-six role. If not, he鈥檒l likely end up on the fourth line or out of the lineup altogether.
Conor Garland (RW)
While it seems likely that Conor Garland will play on the Canucks鈥� third line with Teddy Blueger and Dakota Joshua 鈥� at least, 鈥� it should be noted that Garland was arguably Pettersson鈥檚 most effective linemate last season.
The line of H枚glander, Pettersson, and Garland was in a brief stint last season. With the caveat that these numbers come in a small, 43-minute sample size at 5-on-5, that line crushed their opponents in puck possession and scoring chance creation, carrying a 75.9% expected goals percentage that was tops among all of Pettersson鈥檚 line combinations.
If DeBrusk is on Pettersson鈥檚 left wing, Garland might be the Canucks鈥� best option to play on the right wing with his excellent puck possession game and underrated playmaking.
Brock Boeser (RW)
I know I said that we鈥檙e assuming that Brock Boeser will play with J.T. Miller 鈥� why mess with the 40-goal, 100-point chemistry? 鈥� but is there a chance that Boeser could play with Pettersson instead?
I mean, there鈥檚 always a chance but the odds of this happening, outside of injuries, are pretty low.
Danton Heinen (LW/C/RW)
The Canucks have extolled Danton Heinen鈥檚 ability to play anywhere in the lineup and he鈥檚 a good bet to see some time on the left wing with Miller and Boeser this season. But it wouldn鈥檛 be surprising to also see that versatility land him on Pettersson鈥檚 wing at times.
Heinen鈥檚 ability to play all three forward positions means he could end up in a similar role to Pius Suter last season, filling in wherever the Canucks need him to play. That could end up being with Pettersson, especially if DeBrusk ends up with Miller and Boeser.
With his scrappy two-way game and speed on the forecheck, Heinen should fit right into the way Tocchet wants the Canucks to play and could be a good fit as the puck retriever of a top-six line. On a line with Pettersson, they could be excellent defensively and a puck possession powerhouse.
In terms of an offensive upgrade on the wing for Pettersson, however, Heinen might not be the best bet.
Heinen has some decent offensive tools 鈥� good hands, all right passer, decent shot 鈥� but he hasn鈥檛 really produced like a true top-six forward. In fact, over the past three seasons, Heinen has tallied 91 points in total, the same number of points scored by Ilya Mikheyev in that same span. And Mikheyev played 38 fewer games.
Still, Heinen could be an option as a complementary winger for Pettersson, especially in situations where the team needs a little bit more defensive responsibility.
Kiefer Sherwood (RW)
If Heinen isn鈥檛 an offensive upgrade for Pettersson鈥檚 wing, Kiefer Sherwood is probably even less of an upgrade. Probably.
Up until last season, Sherwood wasn鈥檛 able to fully stick in an NHL lineup, but he found a niche as a hard-skating, tenacious forechecker, who hunts for hits and finishes every check. Despite appearing in just 68 games, Sherwood finished 15th in the NHL in hits last season, averaging 3.44 hits per game.
That allowed Sherwood to carve out a fourth-line role with the Nashville Predators and, in that limited role, he was able to chip in a little offence, scoring 10 goals and 27 points. He should provide a little bit of physicality and scoring pop to the Canucks鈥� fourth line.
But maybe Sherwood could provide a little bit more.
At the AHL level, Sherwood has been a dynamite, sometimes even dominant, top-line forward. In the 2020-21 season, Sherwood had 10 goals in 10 games. In 2021-22, he led the Colorado Eagles in scoring with 36 goals and 75 points in 57 games. There鈥檚 an argument to be made that Sherwood could produce at the NHL level too if given more of an opportunity.
Am I crazy to suggest such a thing? He鈥檚 got great vision and a dangerous shot 鈥� it doesn鈥檛 seem outrageous to suggest that he could produce if given an elevated opportunity. At the very least, a line of DeBrusk, Pettersson, and Sherwood could be a pain in the neck for the opposing team.
Jonathan Lekkerim盲ki (RW)
The Canucks鈥� top prospect had a solid performance at the Young Stars Classic. He was and continued to shine with his ability to win pucks on the forecheck, dangle through traffic on the rush, and find soft spots in coverage to unleash his excellent shot.
The only thing Lekkerim盲ki couldn鈥檛 do was pick up a point, as he finished the three-game tournament with no goals or assists. Still, it was a solid start to his rookie season in North America, where he鈥檚 expected to start the season in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks.
But what if Lekkerim盲ki shines in training camp and the preseason and makes it impossible for the Canucks to send him down to the AHL? Where better would a premier sniper fit in the lineup than alongside a playmaking like Pettersson?
For what it鈥檚 worth, Lekkerim盲ki will skate in the same group as Pettersson on the first day of camp, while Sprong, Heinen, and Sherwood will not. Will he get a chance to play with Pettersson in the preseason? We鈥檒l just have to wait and see.
Elias Pettersson (LD)
Okay, hear me out. I know the second Elias Pettersson is a defenceman but what if both Eliases Pettersson played together on the same line? I believe I speak for every Canucks fan when I say that this should happen 鈥� nay, needs to happen.
Give the people what they want, Tocchet.
