Elias Pettersson will miss the Vancouver Canucks’ final three regular-season games as he continues recovering from an upper-body injury, head coach Rick Tocchet announced Saturday.
The 25-year-old center hasn’t played since March 22.
Vancouver was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week after winning the Pacific Division last season and reaching Game 7 of the second round.
Pettersson’s production dropped significantly this season. He recorded just 45 points in 64 games after posting 102 points in 2022-23 and 89 points in 2021-22.
The Swedish forward was also at the center of a well-documented conflict with former teammate J.T. Miller that ultimately led to Miller’s trade to the New York Rangers.
The Canucks signed Pettersson to an eight-year, $92.8-million contract extension ($11.6M AAV) last March.
Since being selected fifth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, Pettersson has tallied 457 points in 471 career games with Vancouver.
