Canucks’ Elias Pettersson returns to lineup versus Hurricanes following six-game absence

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson has been activated from the injured reserve and will return to the lineup Friday versus the Carolina Hurricanes following a six-game absence due to an undisclosed ailment.

On the season, Pettersson has made 34 appearances with the Canucks in which he has recorded 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points to sit fifth in team scoring.

Pettersson is in the first year of an eight-year pact that carries an $11.6-million annual average value, per PuckPedia, the fifth-highest salary cap hit across the NHL. The 26-year-old Swedish-born forward is two years from a career season where he finished with 102 points counting 39 goals and 63 assists coming in 80 outings. Pettersson also had a successful showing in 2023-24 as he registered 34 goals and 55 assists for 89 points in 82 games.

The fifth-overall selection from the 2017 NHL Draft, Pettersson has spent his entire career in Vancouver, where through 441 career contests he has recorded 180 goals and 260 assists for 440 points. Pettersson has also tallied eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points through 30 postseason appearances.

Pettersson rejoins a Canucks squad that sits 18-12-10 and is currently holding down the second wildcard position in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Pacific Division rival Calgary Flames. The Canucks have picked up a pair of points in their past two outings, seeing back-to-back overtime losses to the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals.

Friday’s contest versus the Hurricanes is the second of two meetups between the two sides in 2024-25. In late October, the Hurricanes came away with a 4-3 overtime win in British Columbia as center Sebastian Aho netted the winning tally just 47 seconds into the extra session. Canucks backup netminder Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves in the losing effort, while Pettersson wrapped up the night with one shot and a minus-one rating.