Canucks’ star rookie Pettersson ‘feeling good’ in recovery from concussion
VANCOUVER — Elias Pettersson hopes he never has to go through the NHL’s concussion protocol again.
“It’s been very boring. I’d like to not do it again in my career,” the Vancouver Canucks rookie said on Tuesday after practising with his teammates for the first time in more than a week.
“To be honest, it sucks to not play games and I want to get back as quick as possible.”
The 19-year-old has been out of the lineup since he suffered his first-ever concussion on Oct. 13 on a hit by Florida’s Mike Matheson.
Pettersson said he was trying to make a play along the boards at the time.
“I knew I was going to get hit. I was standing still and he came in with speed,” said the Swedish centre, who was drafted fifth overall by the Canucks in 2017. “He’s a bigger guy than me. So, yeah, it is what it is.”
The young player declined to comment on how Matheson finished the hit, slamming Pettersson into the ice.
There was no penalty on the play, but the league later suspended Matheson for two games following a hearing. The Panthers defenceman also got in touch with Pettersson personally.
“He sent me a text and apologized. That was a very good move by him. I respect it.”
Pettersson is leading Vancouver in scoring with five goals and three assists in five games and the team’s offence has stalled since the injury. The club has a total of six goals in their last four games.
The key to recovering from his first concussion has been taking it “day-by-day,” Pettersson said.
He’ll join the Canucks on their upcoming road trip to Vegas and Arizona, but there’s no timeline yet for when he’ll be slotted back into the lineup.