Elias Pettersson will never have to play with Ilya Mikheyev again.
If Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin accomplished nothing else in the 2024 offseason, he at least ensured that his franchise forward wouldn’t have to play with the eternally snakebitten Mikheyev in the 2024-25 season.
The maneuvering started in late June, when Allvin made a cap-dump trade, spending a second-round pick to move Mikheyev and (most of) his cap hit to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for a fourth-round pick. That cleared the cap space necessary to go shopping in free agency for a replacement.
The one thing Allvin doesn’t do is half measures. Instead of just adding one winger in free agency, Allvin added four: Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood, and Daniel Sprong.
When those four are added to the wingers already in the organization, the Canucks now have enviable winger depth, which should make their forwards a problem for opposing teams right down to the fourth line. The question is, which of those many wingers will wind up with Elias Pettersson?
With the assumption that Brock Boeser will continue to ride shotgun with J.T. Miller, let’s break down the other candidates to play on Pettersson’s wing:
Jake DeBrusk (LW)
There’s an obvious answer to the question of who will play with Pettersson: the guy they signed in free agency explicitly to play with Pettersson.
The Canucks’ most pressing need in free agency was a winger for Pettersson and they got who they aimed for in Jake DeBrusk. The former Boston Bruin is a two-way possession beast, who has flirted with 30 goals in the past. He has the skill and finish to form chemistry with a playmaker like Pettersson, while also playing the straight-ahead, hard-forechecking, north-south game that Rick Tocchet loves.
While there’s a chance DeBrusk ends up with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser, that’s not what general manager Patrik Allvin had in mind when he signed him.
“I envision him starting with Petey,” said Allvin on July 1.
Ostensibly a left winger, DeBrusk has played a significant amount at right wing as well, especially this past season. He most frequently played on the right wing on a line with Brad Marchand, a natural left winger, and Charlie Coyle at centre.
The upside of DeBrusk’s versatility is that he can potentially fit with any other third linemate the Canucks want to try with him and Petterssson. Of course, the Canucks would likely prefer to play him where he’s at his most comfortable on the left side after signing him to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract.
He would definitely be on the left wing if he played with Miller and Boeser, something that could definitely happen this season, even if he starts training camp with Pettersson.
Nils Höglander (LW)
Nils Höglander was Pettersson’s second most-frequent linemate last season after Mikheyev. The pint-sized power forward worked his way up from the fourth line thanks to his tenacity and his knack for putting the puck in the net but that latter skill failed him late in the season and in the playoffs.
In addition, Höglander never seemed to fully earn Tocchet’s trust defensively, so he rarely played true top-six minutes, even when he was on Pettersson’s wing. Instead, he was often benched at key moments late in games.
In the playoffs, Höglander was tenth among regular Canucks forwards in ice time at 5-on-5 and was even a healthy scratch for two games of their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.
All that is to say, Höglander’s spot alongside Pettersson isn’t particularly secure.
That said, Höglander and Pettersson were very good together last season. The duo had a 58.0% corsi at 5-on-5 compared to a 50.8% for Pettersson when he didn’t have Höglander on his wing. That puck possession led to outscoring the opposition 23-to-13 when they were on the ice together at 5-on-5.
If DeBrusk plays left wing, Höglander’s natural position, that would be an obstacle but Höglander actually played a decent amount at right wing in Sweden. It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see the Canucks try a line of DeBrusk - Pettersson - Höglander to start training camp.
Daniel Sprong (RW)
Daniel Sprong doesn’t just have back-to-back 40+ point seasons; he has back-to-back 40+ point seasons while averaging 12 minutes or less in ice time.
That’s because Sprong can score at not just a top-six rate but an elite rate, averaging 1.26 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 over the last two seasons. That’s good for 11th in the NHL in that timespan. Sprong has a great shot, soft hands, and the poise to use both to pick apart a goaltender.
The appeal of putting a player with Sprong’s high-end finishing talent on a line with an elite playmaker like Pettersson is immediately apparent. Combine that with a speedy, two-way, physical winger like DeBrusk on the other side and this is starting to sound like an ideal line.
There’s just one issue: Sprong has historically been dreadful defensively. His teams have bled shots and chances against at an eye-boggling rate with Sprong on the ice despite typically being heavily sheltered.
That’s not going to fly on a team coached by Rick Tocchet, of which Sprong is well aware. He had a talk with Tocchet before signing in Vancouver and he said that conversation made his decision to sign with the Canucks a “no-brainer.”
If Sprong can earn Tocchet’s trust and he gets some help from strong two-way players like Pettersson and DeBrusk, maybe he can finally play in a legitimate top-six role. If not, he’ll likely end up on the fourth line or out of the lineup altogether.
Conor Garland (RW)
While it seems likely that Conor Garland will play on the Canucks’ third line with Teddy Blueger and Dakota Joshua — at least, once Joshua returns from his surgery — it should be noted that Garland was arguably Pettersson’s most effective linemate last season.
The line of Höglander, Pettersson, and Garland was absolutely dominant in a brief stint last season. With the caveat that these numbers come in a small, 43-minute sample size at 5-on-5, that line crushed their opponents in puck possession and scoring chance creation, carrying a 75.9% expected goals percentage that was tops among all of Pettersson’s line combinations.
If DeBrusk is on Pettersson’s left wing, Garland might be the Canucks’ best option to play on the right wing with his excellent puck possession game and underrated playmaking.
Brock Boeser (RW)
I know I said that we’re assuming that Brock Boeser will play with J.T. Miller — why mess with the 40-goal, 100-point chemistry? — but is there a chance that Boeser could play with Pettersson instead?
I mean, there’s always a chance but the odds of this happening, outside of injuries, are pretty low.
Danton Heinen (LW/C/RW)
The Canucks have extolled Danton Heinen’s ability to play anywhere in the lineup and he’s a good bet to see some time on the left wing with Miller and Boeser this season. But it wouldn’t be surprising to also see that versatility land him on Pettersson’s wing at times.
Heinen’s ability to play all three forward positions means he could end up in a similar role to Pius Suter last season, filling in wherever the Canucks need him to play. That could end up being with Pettersson, especially if DeBrusk ends up with Miller and Boeser.
With his scrappy two-way game and speed on the forecheck, Heinen should fit right into the way Tocchet wants the Canucks to play and could be a good fit as the puck retriever of a top-six line. On a line with Pettersson, they could be excellent defensively and a puck possession powerhouse.
In terms of an offensive upgrade on the wing for Pettersson, however, Heinen might not be the best bet.
Heinen has some decent offensive tools — good hands, all right passer, decent shot — but he hasn’t really produced like a true top-six forward. In fact, over the past three seasons, Heinen has tallied 91 points in total, the same number of points scored by Ilya Mikheyev in that same span. And Mikheyev played 38 fewer games.
Still, Heinen could be an option as a complementary winger for Pettersson, especially in situations where the team needs a little bit more defensive responsibility.
Kiefer Sherwood (RW)
If Heinen isn’t an offensive upgrade for Pettersson’s wing, Kiefer Sherwood is probably even less of an upgrade. Probably.
Up until last season, Sherwood wasn’t able to fully stick in an NHL lineup, but he found a niche as a hard-skating, tenacious forechecker, who hunts for hits and finishes every check. Despite appearing in just 68 games, Sherwood finished 15th in the NHL in hits last season, averaging 3.44 hits per game.
That allowed Sherwood to carve out a fourth-line role with the Nashville Predators and, in that limited role, he was able to chip in a little offence, scoring 10 goals and 27 points. He should provide a little bit of physicality and scoring pop to the Canucks’ fourth line.
But maybe Sherwood could provide a little bit more.
At the AHL level, Sherwood has been a dynamite, sometimes even dominant, top-line forward. In the 2020-21 season, Sherwood had 10 goals in 10 games. In 2021-22, he led the Colorado Eagles in scoring with 36 goals and 75 points in 57 games. There’s an argument to be made that Sherwood could produce at the NHL level too if given more of an opportunity.
Am I crazy to suggest such a thing? He’s got great vision and a dangerous shot — it doesn’t seem outrageous to suggest that he could produce if given an elevated opportunity. At the very least, a line of DeBrusk, Pettersson, and Sherwood could be a pain in the neck for the opposing team.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki (RW)
The Canucks’ top prospect had a solid performance at the Young Stars Classic. He was the best player on the ice in their first game and continued to shine with his ability to win pucks on the forecheck, dangle through traffic on the rush, and find soft spots in coverage to unleash his excellent shot.
The only thing Lekkerimäki couldn’t do was pick up a point, as he finished the three-game tournament with no goals or assists. Still, it was a solid start to his rookie season in North America, where he’s expected to start the season in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks.
But what if Lekkerimäki shines in training camp and the preseason and makes it impossible for the Canucks to send him down to the AHL? Where better would a premier sniper fit in the lineup than alongside a playmaking like Pettersson?
For what it’s worth, Lekkerimäki will skate in the same group as Pettersson on the first day of camp, while Sprong, Heinen, and Sherwood will not. Will he get a chance to play with Pettersson in the preseason? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Elias Pettersson (LD)
Okay, hear me out. I know the second Elias Pettersson is a defenceman but what if both Eliases Pettersson played together on the same line? I believe I speak for every Canucks fan when I say that this should happen — nay, needs to happen.
Give the people what they want, Tocchet.
