When the Canucks' season ended, Elias Pettersson made it very clear that he's been playing through an injury throughout the playoffs and even since late January.
It's unclear why the Canucks chose to keep Pettersson in the lineup through injury when he may have been able to be 100% come playoff time if rested, and on the Sekeres and Price show, John Shannon touched on the topic.
Shannon said whether the right or wrong call, the Canucks may have been trying to teach Elias Pettersson a lesson about resilience and perseverance.
If Rick Tocchet turns to the doctor and says, 'Can he hurt himself anymore?' and the doctor says no... everybody plays hurt in the playoffs... perhaps that was a lesson that they were trying to teach Pettersson, fair or unfair... he has to push through these scenarios.
Pettersson's play was highly disappointing in the playoffs, and while he quickly said he's played through injury, his coach downplayed his injury situation.
The team has not exactly stood by its young star and shielded him following his poor outing. Instead, coaching and management alike have emphasized the need for the team to push through the tough parts of the season.
It's hard to tell if the Canucks made the right decision if they did, have Pe Pettersson play through what seems like a minor injury - but they'll have to find a way to get better out of him in future playoff appearances.
