VANCOUVER – Shortly before this season began, Elias Pettersson finished another one of those interviews in which he says almost nothing.

He was accommodating, but not revealing. Nothing introspective.

At the end of the brief conversation, however, when Pettersson was asked if he expected to at least do better than his 15-goal, 45-point disaster from 2024-25, he paused and then deadpanned: “Yeah, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

With Pettersson and the Canucks then still riding the vibes of a positive training camp and full of hope for a bounce-back season, it was a rare moment of self-deprecating humour from the most expensive, and one of the most enigmatic, players in franchise history.

Seventy-four games later for Pettersson, the 27-year-old finished with 15 goals and 51 points (in 10 more games than the previous season) as the Canucks cratered and were last in the National Hockey League by 14 points.

Late in the regular season, my boss asked if it was time for another “What’s-wrong-with-Elias-Pettersson” story.

My response: “Maybe nothing’s wrong. Maybe this is who he is now” – a 50-point, second-line centre who plays with a defensive conscience, blocks shots, and exasperates fans and coaches alike because he’s capable of so much more.

It has been more than 26 months since Pettersson’s elite, offensive game vanished over a cliff in February 2024 just as Canucks management was leaning on the Swedish centre to sign a long-term extension ahead of that year’s trade deadline. Or else.

In 166 games since Pettersson had three assists in a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 15 two years ago, he has 36 goals and 113 points, tied for 133rd in the NHL over that time.

In his previous 135 games, going back to the start of his 102-point season in 2022-23, Pettersson’s 174 points were seventh-best in the league. You can probably name the only six guys who were ahead of him: Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl and Mikko Rantanen.

No wonder the Canucks gave Pettersson that $92.8-million contract, and no wonder they have regretted it for most of the time since then.

This is the third straight off-season when the narrative around Pettersson is the same. He needs a big summer to train and work on his game so he has the chance to rebound next year.

But maybe this is who he is now.

“He's been disappointing,........

© Sportsnet