Vancouver Canucks mailbag: Brock Boeser, rebuilding, more

In this latest and brief edition of our Vancouver Canucks mailbag, we take a look at like Brock Boeser, the overdue rebuild, Derrick Pouliot and more. Read all about it and enjoy.

Welcome back to the latest edition of our Vancouver Canucks mailbag. It’s our first one since the puck dropped on the regular season last week, and there are already numerous intriguing storylines that have already developed.

None are more interesting than new head coach Travis Green opting to sit Brock Boeser for the first two games of the regular season. After a strong showing in the preseason, Boeser was expected to play in the top-six, but instead got scratched for overpaid fourth-liner, Derek Dorsett.

The Canucks are 1-0-1 on the season thus far. They took down the Edmonton Oilers in the home opener but fell to the Ottawa Senators in a shootout on Tuesday. Fans impatiently waited for Boeser, but he’s starting tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.

It’s now time for us to take a look at the questions that you asked. Enjoy!

Sorry we didn’t do the mailbag earlier, Harrison.

I would have expected Boeser to start against the Senators on Tuesday, but it was a surprise tosee him get scratched once again. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking Boeser was only going to miss the home opener. None of us expected a healthy scratch for the first two games.

Related Story: 3 Canucks takeaways from loss to Senators

But finally, Boeser will play tonight. Please don’t tell me that they’re going to healthy scratch him at the last minute for whatever reason….

Though it’s best for many NHL prospects to develop in the minors, I think Boeser is an exception. He proved more than enough in college, and shined in nine NHL games last season by scoring four goals.

Boeser is just one of those prospects that developed and matured faster than expected. He’s more than ready for the NHL. He showed it last season as a call-up, and in preseason. No point in the “rebuilding” Canucks to sit him in favor of veteran bottom-six forwards from this point.

An intriguing question.

Well, the Canucks refused to actually rebuild in 2016 and 2017, trying to ice a team that could make the playoffs. However, Vancouver wound up picking fifth overall in the last two drafts. It’s almost an unintentional rebuild, isn’t it?

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But if the Canucks get better in 2017-18, the cost of not starting the rebuild will be a, well, costly one.

Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov are two can’t-miss prospects, so I’m not sure that signing Sam Gagner, Michael Del Zotto, Thomas Vanek while not looking to trade the Sedins or Alexander Edler helps Vancouver’s chances at landing a top pick in 2018.

The Canucks could acquire multiple draft picks and prospects if they looked to trade their veterans on the wrong side of 30.

But we fans have become accustomed to “rebuilding on the fly”, when it consistently results in non-playoff seasons.

We’ll see if the refusal to tear it all down really does cost them again in 2018.

Obviously, Pouliot will jump into a top-six role if any of the Canucks defencemen go down to injuries, which A) hasn’t happened and B) we sincerely hope doesn’t happen.

The Canucks have six quality blueliners in Edler, Del Zotto, Chris Tanev, Ben Hutton, Troy Stecher and Erik Gudbranson. It’s going to be tough for Pouliot to jump in and steal a spot from one of those six guys.

Next: The future is far from certain

I don’t see a reason for Green to make any of these guys a healthy scratch right now, considering how good the defence has looked early on. Pouliot’s going to have to wait for his chance, and who knows if that’ll be next game, in a week or in a month. But patience is key for the 2012 first rounder.