A 30-goal season at the age of 30 earned Loui Eriksson a six-year, $36 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks in 2016. Eriksson is now halfway through that contract and only has 32 goals to his name in 196 games sporting a Canucks' uniform.
After taking the ice for the Swedish national team in a matchup with Russia on May 1, in which he scored two goals, Eriksson was asked about his role in Vancouver.
“I haven’t had so much ice time,” Eriksson said in Swedish after the 6-4 victory. “The coach and I don’t really get on 100 percent. It is difficult when I do not get the same trust that I received from all the other coaches I had during my career. Of course it is tough on that front.”
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"The coach" he is referring to is Canucks' head coach Travis Green, who has been at the helm for the last two of Eriksson's three seasons in Vancouver. In Eriksson's one year with Willie Desjardins as his coach, he averaged 18:41 of play per game. He has seen a steady decrease in ice time since Green took over, averaging 16:16 in Green's first year and just 14:04 in his second.
Eriksson told Swedish hockey site HockeySverige that despite his playing situation he still enjoys living in Canada and thinks he can still make a strong contribution in the NHL.
“It feels like I’m still a good player in the league,” he said.