On character.....
Throughout his ELC the question on Pettersson was his commitment level to the overall goal versus commitment to his own brand.
After the first year of his bridge deal questions remained at times. He put in some work that summer and had breakout 102 point season in year two. He followed that up in the first 35 games of his contract year by scoring at a similar pace. When contract talks started, and he wasn't getting what he wanted, he held out. He couldn't deal with the distraction of the business side of things and his play faltered.....but he still held out despite the on-ice evidence that his value wasn't what it was assumed to be. Management then gave him the money and he couldn't turn it around. Whether because the expectations are too much for a fragile ego, or because he now has his money and doesn't feel he has to earn it.
On skill and hockey sense.....
Elite hockey IQ, very slick hands, and outstanding passing. Not great on face-offs for a guy being billed as a 1C. Smart defensively, outstanding at disrupting passes with his stick and taking away shooting lanes with good positioning.
On physique.....
A rail. He either doesn't put the work into putting on mass, or his body simply doesn't possess the genetics. His skating is subpar for someone that management is trying to build around as a 1C, good open-ice speed but minimal explosiveness and poor lateral movement, weak on his edges. Easily pushed off the puck. This has been consistent for 6 years, and in season number 7 there are no signs of it changing. At 26 years of age you have what you have whether it be work ethic or genetics.
It was incredibly foolish of management to commit to building around someone who was clearly not going to be the next Gretzky-Datsyuk. He should have been seen as the type of player that a team needs to support the core.....albeit an elite one. You pay him what JT got or you move him out and look for someone else.
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