Elias Pettersson just cracked one of the first major roster projections for the 2028 World Cup, and for Canucks fans, that's worth paying attention to.
Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin and Uffe Bodin put together early Team Sweden projections, and the two writers landed in very different places on Pettersson.
Larkin included him among his 13 forwards, slotting him alongside names like William Nylander, Filip Forsberg, and Leo Carlsson.
Bodin left him off entirely, calling him his toughest cut of the whole exercise.
That split says everything about where Pettersson's stock actually sits right now, two years out from a tournament that isn't close to finalized.
It's a fair debate. Pettersson posted just 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 74 games this past season, finishing at minus-30.
Those numbers are well below what a $11,600,000 cap hit is supposed to produce, and it's exactly why one writer still sees him as a lock while the other needs more proof.
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Why one projection left Pettersson off entirely
Bodin didn't hide his reasoning either. "In the best of worlds, Elias Pettersson will figure things out over the next couple of seasons and be an obvious choice for this roster," he wrote.
"But as it stands right now, I have a really hard time finding a spot for him here. His play on the ice will need to convince me that he belongs," Bodin added.
That's a pretty blunt assessment for a player who was once considered a franchise cornerstone in Vancouver.
Larkin's inclusion feels more like betting on name recognition and past production holding up over the next two years than a reaction to his most recent season.
Sweden has real motivation to figure this roster out too, coming off disappointing results at both the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics.
That means every returning name gets scrutinized harder than usual, and Pettersson landed right in the middle of that conversation.
For Vancouver, this is really about the bigger picture. If Pettersson bounces back to anything close to his peak form, this debate disappears fast.
If he doesn't, get used to seeing his name split writers like this every time a new international roster gets projected.
Nineteen months is a long runway, and plenty can change before Sweden actually has to submit a real roster.
But for now, Pettersson is exactly the kind of name that shows up on one list and gets crossed off another, and that inconsistency says just as much about his season as any stat line does.
Will Elias Pettersson bounce back enough to be a lock for Team Sweden in 2028?
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