Canucks Rewind: Brock Boeser’s NHL debut, and his time in Vancouver so far

Boeser’s next few years with the Canucks

Boeser finished the 2018-19 season with 26 goals and 30 assists, but, once again, was bitten by the injury bug. He dealt with a recurring groin strain throughout the first half of the campaign, forcing him to miss 13 games total. The Canucks did not qualify for the postseason that year for the fourth consecutive season, and conversations about Boeser’s health and inconsistency started to slowly emerge.

Boeser rehabbed throughout the summer and was cleared to play at the start of the following season. The Minnesota-native had also just signed a new three-year, $17.625 million contract, once again raising the expectations for him to perform as a legitimate, top-end goal scorer in the league.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Boeser wasn’t exactly 100% healthy, and this reflected in his point totals.

He registered a respectable 16 goals and 29 assists over 57 games, but was lacking the excitement and offensive firepower that he showcased during his rookie campaign. He was also hit with the fourth health-related issue of his young professional career, suffering a rib injury that sidelined him for eight weeks.

He was able to return to the team in August after they qualified for playoffs based on the NHL’s Return to Play format, where he put up 11 points in 17 games before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in game seven of the Western Conference semi-finals.

Boeser entered the offseason, seemingly on the right track towards rediscovering his game, but it appeared to be too little, too late for some of the more heated members of the fanbase.

Like any streaky young player, Boeser suddenly found his name in numerous trade rumours; most notably, there were growing talks that Boeser could be dealt to his hometown team in exchange for defenceman Matt Dumba.

But, like all trade rumours, this transaction possibility eventually fizzled out, and we’re certain that Canucks fans are over the moon about that.

Boeser has been on an absolute tear offensively this season, and he has been the team’s most consistent forward in most, if not all, of their games played so far. He’s producing at just under a point-per-game pace, having registered 16 goals and 16 assists in 36 games, and he currently leads the team in shots, powerplay goals and total points.

More importantly, Boeser has played in every game this year (knock on wood), and he is one of the main reasons that the Canucks are still able to be somewhat optimistic about the playoffs.

Yes, mathematically speaking, it appears that the Canucks are destined to miss the postseason for the fifth time in six years. But, regardless of how they finish in the all-Canadian division, you can’t disregard Boeser’s impact on this team.

He’s proving that he can be not only one of the best goal-scoring wingers in the league, but also an important piece in the young core moving forward, and his resurgence, leadership and pure on-ice dominance are serious factors for him to take home the team MVP award at the end of the year.

What are your thoughts on the Brock-star’s tenure with the Canucks so far? Make sure to drop a comment below!