Elias Pettersson is stealing all the spotlight in the eyes of Vancouver Canucks fans. However, Brock Boeser is off to a slow start and leaves us wondering why.
Last night our beloved Vancouver Canucks saw another all-too-familiar third period collapse. Through the first two periods, however, we saw lots to please even the casual observer. We had Elias Pettersson scoring two very nice goals (and who doesn’t want to see Mama and Papa Pettersson celebrating every game), Bo Horvat make the scoresheet and even a shorty from everyone’s favorite shutdown center, Brandon Sutter.
The one thing missing, however, was points for The Prince That Was Promised, the Brockstar, The Flow – Brock Boeser.
Now, let’s caveat this entire post by stating clearly that there are just two games played, both against the same team, and that Boeser is nowhere near being the problem with this team over the last two games. But – and it does need to be asked – why hasn’t Brock registered on the scoreboard yet, and what exactly is wrong with him?
I can see three entirely-plausible explanations:
He’s still suffering from last season’s injury
It’s possible that taking such a hard knock has caused Brock to become hesitant, as Harrison Mooney pointed out yesterday:
"“Similarly, I get the sense Boeser hasn’t quite gotten over the Cal Clutterbuck hit and resulting back injury that ended his rookie season…Furthermore, it’s understandable to see Boeser look a little tentative to start his sophomore season. Some have suggested he’s struggling to adjust to all that new muscle. I think he’s still just a little afraid to use it.”"
Be it he’s not recovered physically (unlikely, as he added so much muscle this summer and trained hard by all accounts), or he’s struggling mentally to get back to his old self (and who wouldn’t), Brock looks a tad jaded. Could this be the reason he’s yet to trouble the scorers?
The Flames put all their effort into stopping Brock
After scoring in two regular-season games and a pre-season game against the Flames last season, those dastardly red jerseys knew they had to Slow The Flow. Brock had very few chances in either game this week – could this be the reason he’s yet to trouble the scorers? If this is the reason, he’ll undoubtedly have more chances later in the season as EP40 takes the heat.
He’s repaying Coach Green for sitting him at the start of last season
You bench me, I bench you. Or something to that effect. Perhaps all this is nothing more than message-sending from Brock after last season’s bizarre sitting over the first two games. And who knows, perhaps it’s tied up with contract negotiations – the ‘you should have paid me when I asked you to’ routine. Could this be the reason he’s yet to trouble the scorers?
For the record, I don’t think there’s ANYTHING wrong with Brock Boeser. We’re two games in, the team is scoring goals, the PP is scoring, Offense is not the issue with this team, and Brock is contributing by taking the focus off the rest of the team. When was the last time this team scored four goals – twice – with zero contribution from Brock? We have a much more balanced scoring threat now, and I for one can’t wait until Brock is back to his frightening best – this team could be lethal with an all-firing Boeser.
The question I have for TCW readers is this: what do YOU think is wrong with Brock Boeser?