How Canucks Elias Pettersson's Zone Faceoff Starts Could Be Impacting His Offensive Production

Elias Pettersson's slow start to the 2024-25 season continues to be a massive storyline for the Vancouver Canucks. Through 42 games, the 26-year-old center has 30 points and is on pace to record under 60 points for just the second time in his career. While there is no one answer as to why Pettersson is struggling, one factor could be his overall deployment and how often he gets to start his shift in the offensive zone faceoff starts.

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According to Natural Stat Trick, Pettersson is averaging 17.58 offensive zone faceoff starts per 60 minutes. Natural Stat Trick defines an offensive zone faceoff start as the "Number of faceoffs in the offensive zone for which the player was on the ice." Below is a look at Pettersson's nine forward teammates who have played at least 500 even-strength minutes and their faceoff zone starts per 60 so far this season.

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Of the nine Canucks forwards who have played at least 500 even-strength minutes, Pettersson ranks fifth, with J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk and Conor Garland averaging more offensive zone faceoff starts per 60. As for the other zones, only DeBrusk has more defensive zone faceoff starts, while Pettersson ranks second last in neutral zone faceoff starts. While many factors go into deciding which player to send out for a faceoff, it is clear that the Canucks favour Pettersson when it comes to defensive zone play.

To get a better idea of how often Pettersson starts his shift in the defensive zone, we need to look at the league as a whole. Of the 285 players who have played at least 500 even-strength minutes this season, Pettersson ranks 195th in offensive zone faceoffs per 60. Some players above him include Phillip Danault, Corey Perry, Jordan Martinook and Morgan Geekie. While Vancouver as a team has struggled to create chances in the offensive zone, Pettersson being this low on the list does not make much sense.

As for defensive zone faceoff starts, Pettersson ranks 79th. He is one of 89 players with over 20.00 defensive zone faceoff starts per 60 and is part of a list that includes Claude Giroux, Casey Cizikas, Mitch Marner and Tom Wilson. As mentioned, it is clear that Rick Tocchet and his staff value Pettersson in the defensive zone, which is why he is high on this list.

While zone faceoff starts don't explain the entire picture, they do contribute to Pettersson's offensive struggles this season. While Pettersson is a talented and highly skilled player, continually having him start in the defensive zone is not a recipe for success. Moving forward, starting him more often in the offensive zone should be a priority for the Canucks, as it could lead to more offensive production from Pettersson and his linemates.

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