In a recent interview, former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Shane O'Brien revealed he believes that Elias Pettersson has the most pressure on him of anyone in the NHL. The Vancouver Canucks are coming off of an extremely disappointing season in 2024-25 that was surrounded in controversy. The Canucks throughout the season completely overhauled their roster <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/new-york-rangers/jt-miller-reveals-shocking-reason-for-waiving-no-trade-clause-to-join-rangers-from-canucks' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers</a> among other moves. Heading into the offseason many sources around the league expected the Canucks to make a big push to add a second-line center to support Elias Pettersson. Instead, the Canucks thinned out their forward group trading away fan favorite Dakota Joshua. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/tsn_sports/status/1945944283095138699'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> As a result, the Canucks will be leaning heavily on Pettersson and NHL analyst Shane O'Brien believes no one has more pressure this season than the Canucks and Pettersson. <h3>Former Canucks Defenseman Says Elias Pettersson Faces More Pressure Than Any Other NHLer</h3> During a <a href='https://www.sportsnet.ca/650/peoples-show/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>recent interview with Dan Riccio and Randip Janda of Sportsnet 650</a>, O'Brien revealed that he is under the impression that Pettersson is facing higher individual expectations than any other NHL player this season. I think he has the most pressure on him of anyone in the NHL. I don't know him as a kid but every Swedish guy I've ever played with were great guys I'm sure he's a great kid. However, he's in a situation where he's making big money and the Canucks unfortunately can only go as far as he will take them offensively. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/sportsnet650/status/1950309731828191482'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> This is a bold claim from O'Brien but one that could be backed up by last year's results when Pettersson struggled the Canucks did not win. This the leads to the conclusion if Pettersson does not dominate the Canucks will once again be near the bottom of the NHL after Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford failed to surround Pettersson with more talent for next season. As the 2025-26 season gets underway all eyes will be on Elias Pettersson to see if he will live up to expectations or crumble under the pressure.