I don't know why it's so hard for people to understand that when you have your 1C playing like an offensive black hole, it significantly affects the flow of the entire team. This is a guy getting top minutes as well.
If Pettersson is playing up to his price tag, he is a consistent threat every time he is on the ice, and teams have to adjust for that, freeing up other guys for better scoring opportunities. More offense will naturally flow not only from increased scoring numbers from your 1C, but confidence in guys around him, and more space as well.
This is one player (a player with top minutes and top PP1 time) negatively impacting the team. End of story. This is the biggest issue with the Canucks right now.