For the first time in this short season, defenceman Elias Pettersson was made a healthy scratch.

Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote was asked postgame if this was a bit of a reset for Pettersson:

“Yeah, he’s young,” Foote said. “He’s played a lot of hockey — a lot of minutes for sure.”

Pettersson has appeared in all 14 previous games for the Canucks this season, picking up a pair of assists with a minus-one rating and four penalty minutes while averaging 14:12 minutes of ice time.

The 21-year-old defenceman picked up one of his two assists in the Canucks’ latest game against the Nashville Predators on Sunday night, despite playing the third-lowest amount of ice time on the season. Analytically, Pettersson was one of the best Canucks skaters at 5v5. However, a failed clearing attempt and getting caught puck-watching allowed Michael Bunting the inside track to the net front on the Predators’ third goal of the game.

Pettersson did not see a shift for the remainder of the game. This could be a reason why we did not see Pettersson against the Blackhawks.

The Swedish defenceman first burst onto the scene last season, impressing at the AHL level with the Abbotsford Canucks. Pettersson then earned a call-up in late January and stayed in the NHL for the remainder of the year. He played 28 games, scoring one goal and two assists for three points with a minus-four rating. Pettersson’s booming presence was felt early on, logging 39 hits and 17 penalty minutes – including his first NHL fight against Colorado Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor.

In his place, veteran defenceman PO Joseph took his spot on the left side, paired with rookie Tom Willander.

Joseph signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Canucks this past offseason. Tonight was his eighth game for the organization, where he logged 14:02 minutes of ice time and picked up his first point as a Canucks – a primary assist on Aatu Räty’s goal.

The Canucks went on to drop this contest 5-2 without Pettersson in the lineup. We will see if this is just a one-game absence for Elias Pettersson.