Canucks: Elias Pettersson ‘ready to be himself again’, added 13 pounds of muscle over the summer
As expected, Elias Pettersson is eager to put last season behind him. It was a dreadful season for Pettersson, who put up just 15 goals and 30 assists through 64 games in year one of his eight-year $92.80 million contract.
“Yeah I feel great, I had a good summer, and I’m excited to be back,” Pettersson said to a pool of reporters assembled at Northview Golf & Country Club for the Canucks’ annual Jake Milford charity golf tournament.
Pettersson commented on management re-signing core players like Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko, saying it’s great that the team is keeping the core together and that he’s excited for the future with the group. Pettersson also shared that he got married over the summer, calling it the best day of his life.
Pettersson also talked about new Canucks head coach Adam Foote:
“I mean, he’s been it’s been our assistant coach for three years now. He’s been a great leader. He’s good to talk to, and just the talks we’ve been having over the summer, it’s been really good. So really, really looking forward to it.”
As a result of his on-ice struggles last season, Canucks management publicly questioned Pettersson’s practice habits, preparation, and offseason work in 2024. General manager Patrik Allvin even shared that Pettersson’s offseason training plan was a key topic during his exit meeting with the team’s highest-paid player.
Pettersson was glad to share that he put on six kilos — just over 13 pounds — of muscle this offseason. He even requested that we make it our headline!
“I added six kilos, so you can add that to your headline,” Pettersson said. “Jokes aside, I feel good. It’s been a long, long summer, so I tried to add some muscle and am ready to be myself again out there. I feel confident.”
That’s the exact type of thing Canucks fans want to hear from Pettersson, but obviously, it will take a lot more than words for fans to believe Pettersson can return to being the high-impact player he’s been at times throughout his career.
You can watch the full availability from Pettersson below!
Dodgers Predicted to Sign Top MLB Free Agent After 2025 Season
Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman
The Los Angeles Dodgers have notoriously been one of the top spenders in MLB for several years now. They showed that at the beginning of 2025, they signed many top free agents to improve their roster.
However, that has not led them to become the juggernaut team many analysts and executives thought they would be. Los Angeles is 79-64 and will likely not reach the 90-win mark with just 20 games left this regular season.
Whatever the Dodgers do in the postseason, one MLB Insider believes they will sign the top free agent after 2025.
Dodgers Predicted to Sign Kyle Tucker
The Chicago Cubs’ slugger is having a rough last two months of the season, but is still considered the top free agent.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale believes it will be to the Los Angeles Dodgers:
“Rival executives still believe he’ll be the highest-paid player in free agency,” Bob Nightengale reported Monday. “Their prediction where he’ll land? The Dodgers, who badly could use outfield help.”
The Dodgers could use outfield help, but signing Tucker to say, $400 million would put them far over the luxury tax. But it would address a much-needed positional issue. Los Angeles signed Michael Conforto to a one-year, $17 million deal before the season, and he has looked like a massive bust the entire season.
Conforto still isn’t above the .200 average mark, despite playing in 124 games. His OPS is 77, well below league average. The Dodgers also traded for left fielder Alex Call back in July, and he hasn’t had much production either. Signing Kyle Tucker in free agency is right up the Dodgers’ wheelhouse.
Although Tucker has struggled for the past few months, he’s still had a solid season. Kyle Tucker still has 22 home runs and an OPS+ of 140.
Kyle Tucker Has So Many Accolades As a Player
Bleacher Report recently came out with a prediction piece about Kyle Tucker’s free agency, and it showed how tenured he is as a player:
“After all, Tucker’s resume includes a World Series title, four All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove. He led the league in RBI in 2023 when he was with the Houston Astros and has hit more than 20 home runs in each of the last five seasons. While he hasn’t been himself since the All-Star break with a .242 batting average, five home runs and 17 RBI, some of that can be explained by injury concerns. And he still has solid overall numbers this season with a .270/.381/.472 slash line, 22 home runs and 73 RBI. Tucker is also just 28 years old, which is another reason he will surely command a significant deal this offseason.”
The next question is how much the Dodgers would pay him, and that will be up to Tucker’s agent.
Fans of other MLB teams would not be happy with the Dodgers making a big-money signing like this, but it would put a lot of pressure on the Cubs to attempt to dish out a higher AAV contract. Tucker’s free agency will be one of the highest-anticipated events this offseason.
