Canucks: 3 players looking to bounce back next season

Antoine Roussel

Antoine Roussel missed the first two months of the 2019-20 season as he was coming off surgery for his torn ACL which he sustained in a March 2019 game against the New York Rangers.

His return was a triumphant one, scoring a goal on his first shift in the Dec. 3 game against the Ottawa Senators —  on the night where Alex Burrows was inducted into the Ring of Honour.

More from The Canuck Way

• Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
• What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
• Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
• Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
• 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg

However, the fun didn’t last. Roussel struggled for most of the season and the playoffs. He finished with seven goals only six assists in 41 regular season games.

Roussel took some very poor penalties at times, wasn’t at his best defensively and the offence dried up. In the playoffs, he often went a little too far with his antics in the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Roussel is paid to be an agitator that can provide offence in the bottom-six. Last season, he simply wasn’t as noticeable compared to 2018-19 before the injury.

He is known for getting under the opponent’s skin, but next season he shouldn’t go too far with it.

Hopefully, Roussel can once again provide some more big hits and a little bit of offence in 2020-21.

Brock Boeser

Last season was the worst season (production-wise) of Brock Boeser’s three seasons in the NHL, as he tallied 16 goals and 45 assists in 57 games.

Simply put, it was a down year by Boeser’s goal-scoring standards. It was another season where he was marred by injuries, as Boeser missed a month after suffering a rib cartilage fracture.

Sure, the injury didn’t help, but Boeser also had his share of goal droughts. It also seems that his wrist shot hasn’t been the same since his rookie year and has evolved into more than just a pure goal-scorer. Boeser was also lacking production on the power play, and his spot was eventually replaced by Toffoli.

Boeser needs to shoot more, especially with the slap shot, considering the past success he’s had with it. If he can play a full 82-game season, he could potentially beat his career-high 29 goals he scored in his rookie season. Boeser has turned into a playmaker and has also made some good defensive plays from time to time, but he needs to use his best asset.

Boeser is capable of becoming a 25-plus goal man, though it may not happen in 2020-21 if the regular season is shortened. Hopefully, he’ll stay healthy and find consistency.