The Vancouver Canucks welcomed a special guest back to practice on Friday afternoon; star winger Brock Boeser took the ice for the first time in 15 days as he continues to rehab from a nasty concussion he suffered on Nov. 7.
Boeser, 27, last played for the Canucks in a Nov. 7 game against the Los Angeles Kings in Los Angeles, taking five shifts and playing 3:14 before being forced to exit the contest. Boeser was concussed by an illegal check to the head by Kings forward Tanner Jeannot, who was later suspended three games for the incident.
Including that Canucks game against the Kings, Boeser has missed seven games and counting, and the impact of his absence is now twofold, with J.T. Miller also stepping away from the team for a reported mental and physical reset.
How Brock Boeser returning affects the Canucks
Some Canucks fans may have already noticed by now, but top forward prospect Jonathan
Lekkerimäki, known for his shooting ability, was returned to the AHL Abbotsford Canucks on Thursday, with forward Max Sasson coming up to the NHL to replace him.
It is perhaps not entirely a coincidence that, one day later, Boeser returned to the ice sporting a non-contact jersey for the Canucks. Plus, Lekkerimäki was not that effective during his time in Vancouver anyway. In five games, Lekkerimäki was out-scored 5-1 at 5-on-5 and had a Corsi percentage of 47.7%, which is in the negative.
Ultimately, it seems likely that Boeser is on the fast track to return to game action for the Canucks in the next week or two. Getting on the ice and dealing with the lights and the bright ice surface is test No. 1 for the Canucks' sharpshooter, with the next steps including regaining physical conditioning and getting comfortable with absorbing physical contact again.