The Petey Predicament

[Cousin Strawberry]

Remember at the start of the year when speculation ran rampant about Miller and Quinnothy taking Pettersson aside to kick his ass around and get him rolling?

What's the bet that didn't go so well lol

[Meds]

Remember at the start of the year when speculation ran rampant about Miller and Quinnothy taking Pettersson aside to kick his ass around and get him rolling?

What's the bet that didn't go so well lol

Honestly, if that rumour is true, and the results of it are what we’ve been seeing, then, with all of my personal bias set aside, Pettersson should have been shipped out very quickly.

JT handling it alone? Sure, I can see it going badly there. Miller doesn’t strike me as one who could employ much tact, and likely gives the Swedish Muffin a motivational speech akin to sort that POW’s would have received in a Japanese labour camp.

Hughes is a different breed than Miller. If Petey got all butt hurt by Quinn’s mild mannered demeanour, then the dude is WAY too soft to ever be a winner in this league.

But who knows if this is true.

[Per]

And… Petey is back?

One of the goals assisted by Miller.

I’m not sure Petey’s problems are in his head, and caused by a lack of effort. His defensive stats are very sound, and that typically is the result of hard work. I’m more leaning towards the tendonitis rumours. That could explain both why he seems less explosive in his skating and why his shot has been slightly off. Now, tendonitis can take a long time to get better, but it is not career ending.

Then again, physical and mental stuff tends to go together, so if he started mIssing shots because of an ailment it may have gotten to his head and compounded the issue. Let’s hope he has turned a corner and will return to be the player that earned that contract.

A christmas miracle, if you will.

[5thhorseman]

Is Peter going to be falling to his knees for the entirety of his career? Is he that weak or are they just lame attempts to draw penalties? He is continually out muscled along the boards which is not good enough even if he does make a nice pass out of coverage once in awhile. He's got to get stronger if he wants to be a true number one centre and withstand the rigors of playoff hockey. Until then he can wear the Perimetterson nickname.

[donlever]

Is Peter going to be falling to his knees for the entirety of his career?

My point is made and opinion clear on the player so I'm going to stop ragging on him but watching the game last night and seeing the between 2nd and 3rd period interview....man that boy is a stick.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Remember at the start of the year when speculation ran rampant about Miller and Quinnothy taking Pettersson aside to kick his ass around and get him rolling?

No

[Blob Mckenzie]

the 2025 1st pick

You need this to be moved.

[Chef Boi RD]

the 2025 1st pick

You need this to be moved.

Blob, I worry with Allvin and Rutherford’s track record with trading picks. Chef has an inkling this won’t be our pick anymore come draft day, AND, the rental we frivolously traded it for, will be going to market July 1st, further depleting our prospect pool to being the worst prospect pool in the entire league. It’s concerning

[Blob Mckenzie]

the 2025 1st pick

You need this to be moved.

Blob, I worry with Allvin and Rutherford’s track record with trading picks this won’t be our pick anymore come draft day and the rental we traded it for will be going to market July 1st further depleting our prospect pool to being the worst prospect pool in the entire league. It’s concerning

I think they were shoveling picks out the window while Pittsburgh was in its competitive window and they did peel off a couple cups. I don't think they can be this daft to piss away a first just to snag a wildcard spot.

[Cousin Strawberry]

Remember at the start of the year when speculation ran rampant about Miller and Quinnothy taking Pettersson aside to kick his ass around and get him rolling?

No

What you don't remember? It was discussed extensively

[Carl Yagro]

Is Peter going to be falling to his knees for the entirety of his career? Is he that weak or are they just lame attempts to draw penalties? He is continually out muscled along the boards which is not good enough even if he does make a nice pass out of coverage once in awhile. He's got to get stronger if he wants to be a true number one centre and withstand the rigors of playoff hockey. Until then he can wear the Perimetterson nickname.

My point is made and opinion clear on the player so I'm going to stop ragging on him but watching the game last night and seeing the between 2nd and 3rd period interview....man that boy is a stick.

Some fine points, gentlemen. Some of us here have been making them all along. While some have felt like it was some personal attack on them. But, but, but... PPG.

We have history of HOFs who were literally foals who could not stand up to the rigors of the NHL. Unlike Peter, who could relying on dynamic individual skills, their game relied on half-court pressure and puck ownership and movement. But even they figured it out earlier and came back to surprise everyone with their new found strength. We now know it was based on hard training... climbing mountains, rollerblading uphill (not scootering around the city) and not missing leg days.

Some of us are talking about more subtle things expected from your top players. Cheque writers want ROI, fans want IMPACT. PPG is a bonus. Those HOFs started to make impact even though they barely hit PPG. They gave a litany of nobodies careers weeks (Magnus Ardvesson? Wade Brookbank), career years to rapper wannabees and tv personalities (Brother where art thou?) and actual careers (ball hockey player). Their teams won... consistently and it brought great joy to the city for many years.

You get paid, you step up and lead... in impactful-ness. You have to be a straw, a very expensive one. But nobody will mind if you're stirring the shit outta that drink. And you do not skip leg days. Ever. Be accountable. Don't take a 3 and a half month staycation and not expect some negative feedback from the company and colleagues.

The last few games, the effort has been there and we've been seeing some of the old ways from our top guys. The game results still haven't been consistent as what we expected from the team this season, but I put that onus on the assembly of the defence, injuries and some general weird shit that has happened... no doubt heavily contributed to by our wonderful media.

[Megaterio Llamas]

A timely article in the Athletic yesterday from Fluto Shinzawa with a familiar there. Enjoy

Where’s Elias Pettersson? Sweden is on the ropes without center’s offense at 4 Nations Face-Off


Through two games, Elias Pettersson is satisfied with his defense in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Offense is another thing. Pettersson’s next point will be his first of the tournament.

“I could definitely be better,” Pettersson said on Sunday. “I think I’m doing OK defensively. But I definitely want to create more offensively.”

Pettersson and his Swedish teammates are up against it. By the time Sweden faces off against Team USA on Monday night at TD Garden, Tre Kronor could be eliminated from championship contention.

Sweden (two points, two overtime losses) needs Canada (two points, one OT win) and Finland (two points, one OT win) to go to extra time on Monday afternoon. If so, the most either team could gain is two.

But if either the Canadians or Finns win in regulation and claim a three-point decision, Sweden’s game will be for nothing save for national pride.

“If it’s a game that doesn’t mean anything, we’re still playing U.S. in Boston,” Sweden coach Sam Hallam said. “You know what they want to do in front of their home crowd. We need to be ready for everything.”

Pettersson’s absence of offensive presence is a big reason the Swedes are on the back foot. Hallam had big expectations of Pettersson as the No. 2 center between Filip Forsberg and Adrian Kempe. But with Pettersson misfiring, Hallam has had no choice but to lean on his other centers.

Against Finland, Hallam loaded up his No. 1 line by using Forsberg with Mika Zibanejad and William Nylander. Zibanejad, quiet against Canada, responded with a stouter offensive performance against Finland. Zibanejad had one goal and a team-high six shots in Sweden’s 4-3 overtime loss. Zibanejad played 21:00, most among Sweden’s centers.

Joel Eriksson Ek, Sweden’s No. 3 pivot, also impacted the game offensively. Eriksson Ek started a goal-scoring sequence in the second period by being strong on his stick below the goal line and rimming a puck around the wall to Forsberg at the point. Kevin Lankinen stopped Lucas Raymond’s long-distance shot. But Eriksson Ek had carved out net-front space for himself. Eriksson Ek one-handed Raymond’s rebound to Rasmus Dahlin for a point-blank goal. It was a power move by Eriksson Ek, who has been Sweden’s most noticeable two-way center.

Pettersson, meanwhile, had one shot in 14:10 of ice time. The left-shot pivot, at his best with maximal offensive touches, did not control the puck enough to set up his wings. Pettersson was a perimeter player.

Because of his defensive smarts, Pettersson is good at transition offense when he’s on his game. But defense-to-offense rushes in open ice have not come as commonly as he’d prefer.

“I don’t think as much as I’d like to or we’d like to,” Pettersson said of his transition play. “We could definitely be better there for sure.”

It is not enough for Sweden to run with two production pivots in Zibanejad and Eriksson Ek. They are counting on Pettersson to score, not just be good away from the puck.

“We don’t get too many opportunities on the power play, which is really an area where he can excel and use his top-end skills,” Hallam noted. “He’s put a really good effort in, taking responsibility with the puck, playing good F3, being strong in the defensive zone, forecheck. Maybe it’s not tomorrow, but if he continues doing that, he’s going to be in a good spot to produce more. With a player like that, it’s easy just to look at the points and the production. But as long as he does the right things for the team, he’s going to find that, then the production’s going to rise too.”

The Swedes may be having similar questions about Pettersson as the Vancouver Canucks. Pettersson is in the first season of an eight-year, $92.8 million blockbuster to be a play-driving center. He scored a career-high 102 points in 2022-23, 10th-most in the league.

But in 49 games this season, Pettersson has 34 points. His run-ins with J.T. Miller forced the Canucks to trade his American teammate to the New York Rangers. By doing so, the Canucks sent a message to Pettersson that he is their long-term offensive catalyst, worthy of the NHL’s fifth-highest average annual value. So far, Pettersson is falling short of those expectations.

In that way, Pettersson has been skating on familiar ice during the tournament. Because of his flickering offense, Sweden is rolling two lines that are pushing the pace offensively: Zibanejad, Nylander and a rotating left wing (Forsberg or Rickard Rakell); and the No. 3 line of Eriksson Ek, Raymond and Jesper Bratt.

If the Swedes get overtime help from Canada and Finland, they could be in position for a three-point result. The Americans, guaranteed a championship appearance, may save Matthew Tkachuk (lower body) for Thursday. It’s possible they could give Jake Oettinger the net against the Swedes to optimize Connor Hellebuyck for the title game.

The Swedes are healthy. According to Hallam, Filip Gustavsson felt well enough to participate in team meetings on Sunday. Gustavsson was pulled after Saturday’s first period because of a sickness. Hallam did not announce whether Gustavsson or Linus Ullmark will start against the U.S.

“I want to do whatever I can to help the team and also scoring goals,” Pettersson said. “But if that doesn’t work or happen, I want to have a good defensive game.”

[Chef Boi RD]

Night and day, compared to the kid who first arrived on the scene to the player he is now. Where that kid went has become an unsolvable mystery.

[Cousin Strawberry]

I think I've figured out why he doesn't care about hockey anymore;

https://x.com/HockeyFirst1/status/18916 ... YNSLA&s=19

He's getting his little pipe cleaner straightened by an 11.6/10

[theman]

I think I've figured out why he doesn't care about hockey anymore;

https://x.com/HockeyFirst1/status/18916 ... YNSLA&s=19

He's getting his little pipe cleaner straightened by an 11.6/10

So JT was wrong about him?