Canucks place Elias Pettersson on injured reserve; Marco Rossi activated

A couple of roster moves will put one of the newest members of the Vancouver Canucks in action.

General manager Patrik Allvin announced that forward Elias Pettersson has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, while the team has activated fellow center Marco Rossi from IR.

The moves come ahead of Sunday afternoon’s matchup with the New Jersey Devils. It would be Rossi’s first game with his new team. The Austrian forward was part of the blockbuster deal late last week that saw the Canucks deal captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. Along with Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and the Wild’s 2026 first-round pick went back to Vancouver.

Pettersson’s placement on IR is retroactive to Dec. 5, the last time the Swedish star was in the lineup. Per the NHL’s rules, Pettersson could return whenever he’s ready to go, and a roster spot is open. He traveled with the team on its five-game road trip through the Eastern Conference, indicating he’s close to returning to action.

In the three games that Pettersson has missed, all at home, the Canucks have gone 1-2-0, having lost to the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres leading up to the trade. In 28 games thus far, the 27-year-old has scored eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points, leading the team in scoring after Hughes’ departure.

Rossi hasn’t played since Nov. 11 due to a lower-body injury. He previously also suffered an injury after blocking a shot in October against the Philadelphia Flyers. In 17 appearances thus far, the 24-year-old has notched four goals and nine assists for 13 points.

The Feldkirch native had spent the primitive years of his NHL career with the Wild, the team that took him ninth overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. In 202 career games, he has posted 49 goals and 64 assists for 114 points.

The Canucks (11-17-3) hold the worst record in the NHL, 10 points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.