By james art We’ve already established that superstar forward Elias Peterson hasn’t had a very good start to the 2024-25 season for the Vancouver Canucks. While the frustration seemed to peak in the Canucks’ 6-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Peterson is far from the team’s only problem right now.
For example, it would be easy to point the finger at backup goaltender Artur Siloves, who has allowed 15 goals on 74 shots this season and has an NHL-worst save percentage of .797%. With any player, context is important.
No, Peterson certainly didn’t play well against the Devils, and he went viral on Twitter for a brutal shot attempt that should have led to a much more dangerous play. After all, the reality is that Peterson, Quinn Hughes, Kiefer Sherwood, Pius Suter and Connor Garland were the only Canucks to register multiple shots on goal in the embarrassing 0-6 loss to New Jersey. seriously! There were only the five of them.
Unless you want to count Garland, who has generally been a third-line player throughout his NHL career and only recently started playing with Petersson, the Swedish center was the only top-six forward to get multiple shots on goal. Sniper wings Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser failed to register a single, while JT Miller managed just one.
Peterson is a star and has a huge eight-year, $92.8 million contract, but something is clearly going on with him, whether it’s mental or physical. In that context, it’s not fair for the Canucks to rely entirely on him to create any semblance of offense. Hockey is a team sport.
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Dakota Joshua’s impending return could help the Canucks balance things out, but so far we know that Danton Heinen, Nils Hoaglander and DeBrusk started and were moved from Peterson’s left wing.
Arshdeep Bains got an opportunity on Wednesday, but finished with just 11:39 of ice time, a minus-2 plus-minus rating and zero shots on goal. He’s not exactly the guy who has the skill set to kick a player like Peterson in the pants on offense.
While the left wing will likely remain a mystery, the Canucks have better options than Garland if they want to find a spark on offense. Daniel Sprong has always been a positive offensive player, and offseason signing Sherwood has had a solid start to his debut season in Vancouver.
The cap situation makes things difficult, but forward prospect Jonathan Lekerimaki could make an interesting option if the Canucks want to try a true sniper. Or maybe if Aatu Rathi returns from the Abbotsford Canucks, Pius Suter could return to the wing. Head coach Rick Tocchet should try experimenting with Peterson’s teammates early and often until something finally clicks.
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