Canucks Star Forward Silencing Critics With Dominant Two-Way Play

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson has heard it all this season. The whispers about his effort level, the debates about whether he'd ever get back to being a 100-point player, and the endless comparisons to Quinn Hughes made some wonder if Vancouver picked the wrong guy to build around.

For a while, it felt like the criticism might be justified. Pettersson looked like a shadow of the dynamic playmaker who once looked destined for superstardom. Then something clicked. Over the past few weeks, Pettersson has been playing like the player the Canucks desperately needed him to be, and the numbers back it up in a big way.

Leading the League Where it Matters

According to recent data, Pettersson is leading the entire NHL in blocked shots among forwards and possibly the whole league, depending on when you check the stats. That's not a number you typically associate with a skilled offensive center.

Nov 14, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (40) celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images

Still, it's exactly the kind of detail that shows how committed Pettersson has become to playing a complete game. He's not just contributing defensively either. Offensively, Pettersson has been lighting it up over his last several games, producing at the elite level Vancouver fans remember from his best seasons. The shot totals are up, the scoring chances are there, and the confidence that seemed to vanish for stretches earlier in the year is back in full force.

Ryan Whitney Issues Public Apology

Even the harshest critics are starting to come around. Spittin' Chiclets co-host Ryan Whitney, who has been critical of Pettersson throughout the season, recently admitted he might have been too quick to write off the Canucks star.

"I owe an apology, probably to Elias Pettersson," Whitney said. "That's the thing you see online: that Vancouver picked the right guy, but in terms of his game, he's leading the league in blocks and shots for forwards, or maybe the entire league. That was as of the other day."

New year. New Pettersson.

But will we ever see him reach the 💯 point mark again? pic.twitter.com/1BV1KyLpfj
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) November 22, 2025

The former NHL D-man even praised the Canucks star for being the lightning rod for his team over the past few games.

"He's lighting it up the past few games," Whitney said. "Offensively, he's looked really good, and we kind of wrote him off a little bit and talked about maybe never getting that 100-point Pettersson player back."

However, Whitney immediately apologized for his harsh remarks. "But he's looked awesome. So, as a podcast that's given him a hard time, I think we should at least speak up right now," he added. When Ryan Whitney is publicly walking back his criticism, you know something has changed.

Pettersson isn't just playing well. He's playing well enough to make people who doubted him admit they were wrong. The question now is whether Pettersson can keep this level of play going for the rest of the season. If he can, Vancouver's decision to build around him suddenly looks a lot smarter than it did a month ago.

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