Elias Pettersson is down — but how long he’ll be out is an open question. The betting is not so long
I don’t know when he can play next. We’ll know more later. He’s walking around pretty well.” Travis Green
TORONTO — Elias Pettersson will miss at least one game because of a knee injury. This much we know.
But whether the Vancouver Canucks’ rookie will miss additional time remains to be seen.
Pettersson was originally scheduled to have an MRI examination of his injured right knee on Friday. That didn’t happen.
Canucks’ coach Travis Green said he honestly didn’t know why that didn’t happen when asked about it Saturday, just before his team faced the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
All he knew was that Pettersson was going to have an MRI on Saturday to determine the scope of the injury and wouldn’t play against the Maple Leafs.
What the media knew was that Pettersson was seen walking around, in workout clothes, looking like maybe the knee injury wasn’t as bad as first feared.
He didn’t talk to the media — injured players are generally not made available — but he wasn’t shy about being seen. And he did a taped interview for Hockey Night in Canada’s Nick Kypreos on Friday.
“It was an accident. We (Canadiens’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi) got tangled up. We both fell down. I got in an awkward position. It wasn’t a dirty play or anything,” Pettersson said. “He apologized afterwards, which shows good sportsmanship from him. It was unlucky for me and it is nothing too serious.”
Green is hopeful he’ll be back in the lineup when the team returns home.
“I’m hopeful he can play very soon,” Green said. “I don’t know when he can play next. We’ll know more later. He’s walking around pretty well.”
Green acknowledged the fact his Canucks don’t play again until Thursday, and then again not until Sunday, which may help cushion the shortterm impact of any absence the Canucks might face.
“We haven’t had a four-day break this season, it’s good timing as far as that goes,” he said.
Pressed again about the incident that led to the freak injury — Kotkaniemi initially hauled Pettersson back before the two forwards got tangled up and Pettersson fell back over his own knee — the coach remained calm and philosophical.
As he was in October, when Pettersson was knocked to the ice by the Panthers’ Mike Matheson, resulting in a concussion for the Swedish rookie, Green sought to cool the waters.
He insisted that Pettersson being harassed away from the play by the opposition was simply life for top players in the NHL.
“It irks me that he’s out and hurt,” the coach said. “(But) you’ve got to remember excellent players get little hooks and holds ... he’s going to get attention, he’s going to get holds and hooks.
“That’s nothing different from what the all the top guys do.”