Over the past two seasons, all the talk surrounding Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson has been whether or not he can return to the offensive dynamo he once was. And with five points through the first three games of the 2026-27 season, it’s a pretty nice start for the 27-year-old.

Along with those points, however, Pettersson has added another element to his game that he didn’t previously play with: physicality.

Through the first three games this season, Pettersson not only leads the Canucks in hits with 16, but he also leads the entire National Hockey League – three ahead of former teammate and NHL record holder for most hits in a single season Kiefer Sherwood. What may be more impressive is that he did not register a hit on opening night against the Edmonton Oilers, but then followed that up with back-to-back eight-hit performances in his next two games.

Where has this physical emergence come from? Is playing a more physical game something that Pettersson has tried to implement?

“No, I mean I’m just trying to play a hard game; trying to play fair and square, hard, and do whatever it takes to win,” Pettersson told reporters postgame on Saturday night.

Of course, as a skill-first player, Pettersson will not keep up this pace – or he shouldn’t, at least. However, he is currently averaging 5.3 hits per game. That puts him on pace for 448 hits in an 84-game season. That would obliterate his previous career high of 125 in 2023-24.

Again, fans shouldn’t expect a player like Pettersson to keep up this pace. However, it’s worth noting that this seems to have unlocked something. The Swedish centre is playing with more confidence to start the year, probably because he feels more involved in the game with this uptick in physicality.

He doesn’t look as hesitant in his decision-making with the puck. He’s trying things again. He’s playing looser. And as a result, he’s getting more chances because of it. And according to Pettersson, it’s all because he’s just not thinking about points anymore.

“I know from the past, if I start thinking about points, points are not going to come. I’m just trying to play a good two-way game, and when there’s time to make a skill move or whatever, I’m gonna try to do it. And when there’s not, I’m gonna try to play the right way.”

Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra echoed this “being harder to play against” sentiment postgame, sharing that Pettersson is leading by example as a skilled player who is also willing to play the physical game:

“Well, it’s great for Petey,” Malhotra began. “He’s really taken on that mentality of just being harder to play against. Points aside this year, he’s done a much better job at just being heavier on pucks, coming up with puck battles, and trying to be as physical as he can, and that was a great example of it. That being said, I think the more pressing issue is the fact that he’s our team in hits. We need more from the rest of our group in terms of that level of physicality. We’ve discussed it with our group; they’re aware of who needs to be doing it more. But when one of your skilled players is willing to get physical and willing to throw those kinds of hits, it’s a great way of leading by example.”

With a statline of two goals, three assists, five points, four shots on goal, a plus-two rating, and a league-leading 16 hits, it’s been a fantastic start to the season for Elias Pettersson. However, what matters most is that Pettersson said he’s “having a lot of fun.”

It’s been a while since we could use “fun” to describe the Canucks. But if Pettersson’s having fun again with this physical emergence, and his point totals keep up, then it may be a fun year in store for Canucks fans.