The Vancouver Canucks held year-end press conferences Thursday, as staff members and played fielded questions from the media.
Among the biggest revelations was Elias Pettersson’s statement that he had played with “a bad knee” since January. He went on to say that it didn’t need surgery but just time to heal.
Pettersson had an excellent start to the season, scoring 27 goals and 64 points through his first 49 games ahead of the All-Star break, but he wasn’t quite the same when the league picked back up. Down the stretch of the season, he scored just seven goals and 25 points in the final 33 regular-season games and was almost non-existent in the playoffs, scoring just one goal and six points in 13 games.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, who won the Jack Adams Trophy Wednesday night, said Pettersson was dealing with tendinitis, and they didn’t consider shutting him down this season.
This year, Pettersson inked an eight-year extension that will pay him $11.6 million per year through 2031-32.

Rangers shut out in Game 1

The New York Rangers had a tough go in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, getting shutout 3-0 to the Florida Panthers. They struggled to get much going, and on Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Colby Cohen talked about if there should be cause for concern.
Colby Cohen: New York really largely did not put enough pressure on Sergei Bobrovsky or the Panthers’ defense…My level of concern is never high after a Game 1. The New York Rangers have been a really good team all season long. They’ve got really good goaltending, which they didn’t get last night, and I expect them to get the rest of the series. Look, let’s not kid ourselves, the ground-and-pound game…that’s the Florida Panthers. There’s a certain level of concern I have. The New York Rangers can’t play physical when they’re constantly late to pucks.
I think the Rangers will claw their way back into the series, but I feel really good that I picked the Florida Panthers to win the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Sharks’ next coach could be…

Whoever takes over the next head coaching job for the San Jose Sharks will likely be a dead man walking, so to speak.
After all, this is a franchise that’s far, far away from competing for a playoff spot. Instead, it’s looking to develop talent and help young players take the next step forward.
David Quinn lost his spot behind their bench this offseason, and on Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Colby Cohen talked about what kind of coach could be right for the franchise:
Frank Seravalli: What about the San Jose Sharks? You know a guy that they have interviewed, Marco Sturm has gotten permission from the Los Angeles Kings… Obviously not the most desirable job in the NHL because there’s a lot of work to be done with this Sharks team that’s not going to have a chance to compete probably while you are on your contract… You can understand and imagine why they are trying to think outside the box and go with a new name that we haven’t seen or heard before.
Colby Cohen: Marco Sturm kind of reminds me of what Kyle Davidson did with Luke Richardson. A guy who has been an assistant coach, he’s paid his dues, he’s well-respected, he’s well-liked. He’s not an old guy, he’s on the younger side of things, so he can communicate with the young players. I think that’s something that has to be thought about. You’re probably going to sign Celebrini, Will Smith most likely makes the jump… The question would be: Is anyone going to want to take a risk on that, knowing that David Quinn was brought there and fired after two years where the team was the worst roster I have ever seen?
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.